


Black Sunrise

by Nena_Camadera



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, ああっ女神さまっ | Ah! Megami-sama! | Oh My Goddess!
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Horror/Supernatural, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-13
Updated: 2014-11-29
Packaged: 2018-01-19 03:58:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 35,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1454551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nena_Camadera/pseuds/Nena_Camadera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Call it what you will-a revelation from god, or a curse of the demon king. The fact remains that our world came to an end. A heretic called upon an unearthly light, and devastation ensued. Chaos crashed out of the depths of the ocean, from the black abyss. Death upon death, nothing but death in this barren land! Who can we pray to? There are nothing but demons and fiends here."<br/>-- From the Journal of a Man who Wandered into another World</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Black Sun Rising

_Call it what you will-a revelation from God or a curse from the Demon King, the fact remains that our world came to an end…death upon death, there is nothing but death here! Who can we pray to? There are nothing but demons and fiends here…_

_-From the Journal of a Man who Wandered into another World._

He didn’t know how it happened-an invention that went haywire from Skuld, a spell cast improperly by Urd, perhaps even a spell gone right from Hild.

He didn’t know. Nothing was clear over how he ended up there.

The only thing that was clear was the fact that somehow, by some way, Keiichi was no longer within Nekomi. Instead he found himself within a world of night, where the moon was full overhead and the streets were decorated with statues of people.

Something told him they were not decorations.

Decorations did not hold live pistols to their mouths, fingers resting upon a trigger pulled half-way back.

Decorations did not stand out in the middle of roads, between the skeletons of old decayed cars or old forgotten streetlamps, clutching their heads with mouths parted in silent screams.

Decorations did not hold such a sense of sadness as he passed them, walking between them all and examining the faces of men and women and children and seeing not one great artist’s work, but people, actual _people_ , consumed with an unnatural madness as they sought an escape from an invisible foe.

What story did these statues know? He found himself wondering. What could they say if given lips with which to speak? What _would_ they say?

A time spent around three goddesses of fate had left him with a new perspective of the world around him, and now a part of him wished for one of them at his side now, for surely they could reveal the secrets hidden behind eyes of stone.

Goddesses could protect him from the unknown.

For as he wandered the streets, pavements cluttered with dust from statues ripe with decay, all near-replicas of the roads he traveled daily on his bike, he knew he was being watched.

The soft flutter of wings.

The brush of something large shifting its weight upon the dust.

Hisses within dark allies and corners, where if he looked carefully, he might spy a pair of eyes the likes of which he’d never before seen.

They moved within the darkness, under the cover of night and away from the lone moonlight acting as his sole light source.

They terrified him, those creatures that remained hidden, yet he dared not run.

He knew what happened to the ones who ran from dogs.

And so he continued walking, weaving through the remains of a society that might have been his own, might have been someone else’s, alone, confused, and fearful for his life.

~*~

It was at an old intersection that one of the monsters decided to reveal itself to him.

It had been barricaded, the old intersection, on two sides; piled high with barriers and broken cars and statues that looked like they wished to climb over and to a freedom they would never have, leaving only one direction in which to go. Overhead, a broken traffic light hung on its cord, a dull red light flashing unenthusiastically through the intersection, providing little illumination ‘sides a red glow that seemed to bath the area in blood.

And then there came a shriek-inhuman and human all in one goddess-awful moment, and out of the shadows something crawled towards him.

He didn’t know what it was-only that it had had black beady eyes and the lower portion of a scorpion as it rushed him, and that it wore the torso of a man, and so he screamed, running away from it and towards one of the barriers. It crawled too quickly for him to outpace it, yet its size was large-bigger than him. It might have difficulty tracking him, with so many statues that shared his size to navigate through.

He climbed. Up and over the skeletons of vehicles cannibalized for their parts. Under and over statues that seemed to share his desire for escape, crawling in fear of a monster whose intentions were unclear and desires unwanted. Yet somehow he managed where the statues had all failed, climbing with the help of those who’d fallen and making it over the barrier.

He ran.

And he didn’t stop. Not even as the sounds of angry screams faded from his hearing or the burning of his lungs begged him to stop nor the pain in his legs as he summoned all the energy he had.

He had escaped one monster. However, he was certain that with its parting screams, at his echoing footsteps, at his wheezing breaths, more were sure to come.

And so he continued to run, through the remains of a city with no name, past the statues of citizens long gone and away from the demons that were now its denizens.

To a future whose fate was unknown.

~*~

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally gave his body a rest. He didn’t know how far he’d run or where he’d gone to or where he was, only that there was something in the air that told him he was safe for a moment.

The air was sweet here, fresh and different from the stale smell of stone that had been with the statues. He wondered where it was he’d run to, for the air to change so drastically. The buildings here were smaller, still in the same amount of decay, yet with less statues, less vehicles, less signs of _man_. It felt wilder, more rural, yet there were no trees, no signs of green or brown to show the wilderness he felt.

Something crunched under his boot, and he looked down, removing his foot to stare at what it was he’d trampled.

A flower.

Small and white, with a soil freshly packed, now smashed into an imprint of the bottom of his boot. He stared down at it, a small part of him feeling an unusual amount of regret at having destroyed the plant, the one thing that had been a sign of a world time seemed to have forgotten.

Yet who had planted it?

He looked around, this time actively searching for the movements in the dark, the sound of feet on the ground, anything else.

What he found was something else.

Plants.

Rows upon rows of small plants, ranging from the small white flowers he’d had the mishap of stepping on, to long vines of ivy, twisting and turning round and round like some strange natural fence, guarding the perimeter of the flowerbed he’d stepped into.

All freshly packed, by invisible hands he wished so desperately to see.

Who had done this?

Carefully, mindful of the flora he’d discovered, he traversed the new landscape, searching, hoping for hands that were like his own, flesh and blood and _human_ -not the stone statues or the monsters with human features.

He got his wish.

For past the remnants of what looked to be some collapsed wall, he saw it-a person, dressed in the rags of old clothes that had seen better days. Stooped over, it’s back turned towards him, it carefully moved the small white flower at its side in front of it, disappearing from his view into what he could only guess to be a hole. He swallowed, feeling like an intruder and nervous of the person before him.

Who was to say the face that might turn his way wasn’t a monster?

There was only one way to find out.

He called out to it, watched as the person straightened, wheeled to face him with eyes hidden behind goggles and a face obscured behind a hood and collar.

Watched as an arm whipped to its side, a blade popping out of a gloved hand.

Watched as the person charged him, the blade aimed for his chest.

He cried out, backpedaling, only to trip over one of the many vines that littered the area like a green barrier. And then the person was on top of him, the blade moving to rest at his throat, his own panicked features reflected back to him behind heavy black goggles. As one they froze, coming to rest for an eternity before the person tilted its head to the side, slowly withdrawing itself from his body.

Likewise so too did he sit up, his actions slow and deliberate, the blade still visible and the stranger still watching him.

“You are not from the Karma Society.” A voice whispered, rough and muffled from underneath its wrappings. “Who are you?”

“K-Keiichi Morisato.” He stuttered out, feeling himself sweating anxiously as he stared at the stranger.

Ke…ii…chi…Mor..i…sa..to” The stranger spoke the name slowly, as though flavoring the name and savoring its taste. “The name is foreign. Where did you come from?” From beneath the goggles Keiichi thought he could make out a narrowed eye.

The man swallowed, throat suddenly dry. “Japan…Nekomi, Japan.”

The masked stranger grunted. “Ain’t no one comin’ to this continent from the outside in seven years. No more ships and only private planes ‘round these days since the sun turned black. How the fuck you get here?” The voice was vaguely female.

He could think of nothing aside from the truth. “I don’t know.”

Another grunt, this one of disbelief. “Don’t know? Don’t know how you came to this shithole with the sun black and Karma’s pets running about but…” The stranger, no, the woman trailed off. “You’re not dressed in any uniform…no colors either…” She mumbled, leaning back to observe him. “Ever hear of the ‘Junkyard’ before?”

He could only shake his head in response.

Something beeped, and the woman looked to her watch with a curse. “Sun’s coming up.” She muttered. “Guess it can’t be helped. Let’s go, you’re coming with me.” She turned and waved him on, heading down a path masked by stone rows of flowers and bushes. The stranger looked back when he didn’t follow. “Well? She demanded. “You want to turn to stone or one of Them? ‘Cause the Black Sun will grant your either way.”

Keiichi followed the stranger.

~*~

“Can I ask your name?”

“Kathy.”

“Kathy….” Keiichi trailed off, and Kathy glanced back from where she walked in front of him.

“Kathy’s all you need to know.” Her voice was low and quiet. “Now zip it before you bring Karma’s Dogs down on us.”

Keiichi thought of the scorpion man that had first pursued him, then wisely fell silent. If these ‘Karma Dogs’ were anything like that monster…

The rest of the journey passed in silence. Together foreigner and stranger traveled through a labyrinth of wreckage and ruins, statues and alleys, slowly making their way deeper into the nest once so filled with humanity.

Thrice they were forced into hiding, where Keiichi bore witness to the monstrosity that had once pursued him. Kathy had dragged him down behind a rusted three-car pileup, one hand clamped down on his mouth while the other had gone to a sidearm he’d failed to notice in their initial meeting. The woman had drawn it, a finger resting on the safety lever, yet the goggled stranger seemed more intent on hiding rather than drawing its attention. The creature crawled past them on twelve limbs; the eight legs of a scorpion and four limbs of a man. A pair of pincers cut the air menacingly while the head of a man, the flesh a sickly green and tight against the bone, gnashed its teeth hungrily as it passed. When the creature had finally passed, it had taken another ten minutes before they moved again.

Kathy claimed it was for him to get his bearing about him.

Keiichi chose not to comment on how her hand trembled as it returned the gun to its holster.

The second and third times showed opponents of a more familiar nature.

Men, armed and dressed in white uniforms, traveled in pairs of two. Lights were attached to the sides of their helmets, and the strange soldiers swept the surrounding areas with their lights, speaking in hushed, clipped tones as they sought out their prey. Kathy had them hide that time too, once in an abandoned trash bin rusted over with time and the second within a fallen skyscraper. They’d hidden in on one of the upper floors, climbing concrete and rebar in an effort to put distance between them and their hunters. From the safety of a fallen piece of ceiling Keiichi had watched in horror as one of their pursuers on the ground suddenly transformed, changing into a creature both man and owl and taking flight to the sky.

Had it not been for a nearby tarp Keiichi had found by chance, the man was almost certain they’d have been discovered.

Fortune proved to be on their side that night; however, for after a long while of tense inactivity, Kathy declared them both safe with the passing of danger. There was an urgency in her tone though, and after that Keiichi found himself growing increasingly nervous whenever the woman would glance at her watch, or how he’d follow her gaze to the east, where the blackness of night was slowly turning a dark blue with the approaching dawn.

~*~

It was as the sky was brightening to a light blue that the duo finally arrived at their destination. By then they’d stopped walking and had fallen into a brisk run, kicking up sand and dust that made Keiichi’s lungs burn and eyes water. Their target was a door, one built into what looked to have once been a subway of some sort. The door looked heavy, lined with a small, thick plate of glass covered in grime and dust. Kathy struggled to pull it open by herself before Keiichi moved to aid her, and together they managed to open a gap in the threshold large enough for them both to slip through. The door had to have been at least four inches thick.

The door shut behind them, and Kathy breathed a relieved sigh. “That was close. Too close. The Karma Society is getting better at hunting.” The woman pulled her goggles down and dropped the heavy hood that hid her hair and leaning against the closed door. The woman ran a hand through short brown locks. She glanced over at Keiichi. “You good?”

Keiichi leaned forward, propping his hands on his knees as he sucked in one breath after another. No, he was not good. He was far from good, but it’d do neither of them any good to state as much. “Yeah.” He said after a moment. “I-I’m good.” Once more silence descended on them, and Keiichi straightened as his heart slowly calmed. “What…who were those things?”

Kathy closed her eyes, allowing her head to thud against the heavy metal of the door. “You sure you aren’t from the Junkyard or something?” She asked. “You’re asking the same questions those Embryon Tuner guys were asking when they first came around.” She smiled without humor. “Those ass hats were from the Karma Society. Nasty fuckers, those ones. Go around at night hunting folks who aren’t a part of their little utopia to help sate their Tuner’s hunger.”

“Tuners?” Keiichi inquired, one brow raised in curiosity.

Kathy nodded, opening her eyes and staring at him with unusually solemn brown eyes. “Monsters. Those…things that were hunting us. They’re humans infected with the Atma virus. Turns ‘em into outright demons. Nothing more than a bunch a power hungry dogs with a taste for human blood. Goddamned cannibals, all of-“

A fist tore through the small window of the door as if it was tissue paper. Taloned and a deep, rosy red, it clawed the air before snaking around and grabbing Kathy’s skull. The woman screamed, Keiichi screamed, and Kathy began groping for the sidearm once more. Past the arm, past the glass, Keiichi could make out a large, blue eye glaring at him from an owl’s head. It’s beak was red and wet with something like blood, and in that moment the man froze.

“ _Makakaja._ ” The owl shrieked, its pink arm suddenly bathed in blue light. “ _Vital Thief”_ A red mist began to depart Kathy’s captured body, absorbing into the monster-demon? Tuner?-as the woman’s struggles became more frantic.

“Get him off! _Get him off!_ ” Kathy shrieked. “He’s _killing_ me! _Get him off of me!”_

The words seemed to snap Keiichi out of his daze, as the man found himself rushing to Kathy’s side, pulling at the alien limb in an attempt to wrestle it off his lone companion. The knife Kathy had first threatened Keiichi with dropped from her person, and in a last bid attempt Keiichi released his opponent in favor of the blade, rising as quickly as he could and plunging the sharpened steel into the creature’s arm.

The monster screamed, but did not release its prey. Kathy’s struggles were gradually growing weaker, and so Keiichi dug the blade out before rapidly thrusting it into the intruding arm. Intent to do as much damage as possible to injure the offending limb, it wasn’t long before the flesh was wet with its own blood. Yet it wasn’t until the blade hit bone that the demonic entity finally released its prey.

The brunette dropped like a sack of potatoes, and instead Keiichi found the hated gaze of his opponent resting on him. The arm retreated, and Keiichi slowly backed away from the door. He thought he heard a low moan from Kathy, the sound of voices farther behind him, yet it all became indistinguishable when the creature suddenly stuck its head through the door’s window. Its beak parted in an enraged shriek, and from its maw white needles of energy flew out.

Keiichi back peddled in an effort to avoid the attack and in doing so lost his balance on the edge of the staircase that descended further into the tunnel. An arm raised for balance, only to be victimized by the light-needles as they sailed towards him. Searing, white-hot pain enveloped the limb, and Keiichi’s world erupted into dizzying stars as a shout left his throat.

Something shot in front of his gaze. Something long and dark that emerged from behind him just as something caught Keiichi in his fall. There came a shriek as…was that a vine? assaulted the owl-man’s face. The creature shrieked before retreating outwards, the vine releasing its opponent and withdrawing to whoever…whatever controlled it.

“Hey, you okay?” A rough and genderless voice asked, and Keiichi craned his head up to meet the eyes of his savior.

Or lack thereof.

The… _thing_ had no visible eyes. Where what should have been eyes in its blue head was instead enveloped in a towering white and jagged crown. Like a rippled, polished helmet it covered half its face, yet even still Keiichi felt as though it could easily see him, perhaps through some other means. A pair of black, vertical stripes ran down the side of its face, passing a mouth aligned with jagged shark teeth and down under a human’s chin. What blue flesh that wasn’t covered in the white, shell-like armor was shiny, giving off the appearance of wet, scaled flesh.

The creature leaned its head in towards him, causing Keiichi to yelp and struggle out of its grip. The monster offered no resistance, and as he stumbled away from the blue meanie more entities came into view. Behind the blue one was a brown one, this one female in form, it’s face featureless but its breasts alive with a pair of twin mouths. A gray man-monster whose entire head was composed of one large, gapping jaw, split from forehead to neck and lined with a predator’s teeth. It wore a green, organic cape that draped across its body that moved stiffly as it swayed on its feet, hopping from one foot to another in an overly elegant, bird-like manner. Another blue beast, its head cloaked with a white, chitnous helmet, cocked its head from one side to another, its face set in a permanent, lipless smile with arms splayed out on either side of its light body. It hovered a foot off the ground, giving it the illusion of a lithe and tall entity that towered over its comrades.

And a man. An actual, goddess-blessed man who raced through the mass of monsters as though they weren’t even there. The stranger, who wore glasses and whose hair was as white as Urd’s, swore as he passed the creatures. “Fuck, Kathy!” He cried, racing towards the woman only to beat a hasty retreat as the ground before him suddenly exploded.

“Hua Po!” The man shouted, drawing a shotgun from the holster that hung from his back and firing at the door. Buckshot speckled the door with small holes, some of which just barely came close enough to hitting the collapsed woman on the floor. Outside screams could be heard; high and female and close enough to the outside door that Keiichi wasn’t certain the shot wasn’t fatal. Then the screams fell silent, and when the newcomer once more raced to Kathy’s side, he was unhindered by any attacks.

Cradling the woman in his arms, Shotgun looked back over his shoulder towards Keiichi and the monsters. “It’s Kathy!” He snarled. “She must have got hit by one of those demons’ attacks. Argilla, get over here, I need a medic.”

The brown female, whose flesh looked like painted camouflage, approached the man in a hurried walk. “Move, Roland.” One of the breast-mouths said. “I need room to cast my spells.”

The man, Roland, hesitated. His face torn between a mixture of distrust and urgency, the silver-haired man reluctantly laid the woman down before the strange creature. With shotgun in hand he retreated, allowing the creature to take over.

Hands rested on a woman who whimpered before an alien monstrosity. A green aura surrounded both individuals, a neon light that traveled from the creature and down its arms, flowing gently into the brunette in a manner that reminded Keiichi of Belldandy’s own magic.

He watched in stupefied wonder as the wounds on Kathy’s head; puncture wounds from where the owl’s talons had dug into her skin, began to heal, leaving nothing but dried trails of blood on her face. His wounded arm throbbed at the sight, reminding Keiichi of his own injuries, and he clutched it with a grimace.

A weight rested on his shoulder, and Keiichi looked to it, finding a light blue hand, covered in small scales and armored with white chitin, resting on his shirt. The nails were small and round and pointed, like those of a crocodile. He jumped and White Crown released him, allowing him to put some distance between the two of them. The creature did nothing, merely pointed to his arm before gesturing to itself. A soft glow began emanating from its palm.

He stared.

“He is offering to mend your wounds.” The gray beast in the green cape’s head parted in two. “It would be unwise to deny his gift.” It then turned to the hovering creature at its side. “Come Cielo, let us venture outside and ensure the area is clear of surrounding demons.”

The two otherworldly creatures ventured past him and their…leader. Keiichi heard it open and close with a low groan, followed by voices as Roland began to speak once more.

“Hurry up and let Serph heal you. We can’t stay here all day.”

Reluctantly he offered his injured arm to the creature, jumping lightly as the monster dubbed ‘Serph’ gently took hold of his hand. The digits were cold and moist, reminiscent of a frog or a fish. A soothing cool traveled up his arm, easing the pain that engulfed the limb.

“What are they doing out here?” A voice he didn’t recognize rose somewhere behind her, feminine and smooth and worried.

“Kathy gathers a lot of her materials for the shop at night. It’s the only time she and her husband can go outside, and they often take the flowers they obtain with them in the hopes of planting them under a sun that won’t turn everything to stone.”

“Flowers?”

A grunt. “Yeah, we come across them occasionally when raiding the Karma Society’s grounds. Kathy and Johnny will pay a pretty penny for them just so they can go outside and plant their own stone garden.” Roland said in disdain.

“But doesn’t this…Cuvier Syndrome turn everything to stone?”

“Yes.”

“But then…” The voice trailed off, and Keiichi’s thoughts returned to the many statues that had first greeted him upon coming to this twisted world, of the flower that he’d trampled with his boot, and of the long rows of stone bushes they’d passed in their journey to…wherever ‘here’ was. “How…pitifully optimistic…” Serph released his hand, and Keiichi stared at it, running fingers across smooth, healed skin.

He stared at the monster, recalling his many experiences with entities of a supernatural sort. Demons that wore human faces had shown less kindness to him in the past. Standing ridged, Keiichi bowed to it, taking the creature off-guard. “Thank you for healing me.”

The creature nodded but said nothing, and Keiichi turned to Kathy and the others, taking a gamble that the thing at his back wouldn’t attack him. The brown monster had vanished, and in its place a woman with shockingly vibrant pink hair crouched, a deadly looking rifle resting on one shoulder. The…Tuner looked up at Keiichi’s approach, though the man had made no noise as he drew near. Eyes as vibrant a color as her hair met his, and the woman-was this ‘Argilla’ as well?-frowned.

“Are you Kathy’s husband?”

The silver-haired Roland looked to him as though first noticing Keiichi. He frowned as well. “No,” he said, “he’s not. Johnny’s older. He’s not Asian.” Grey eyes narrowed behind black wire frames. “Johnny went on ahead to set up shop after I told him our next destination. He’s our main supplier when out in the field…I don’t know who this guy is.”

“He’s not Lokapala then.” The pink-haired woman stated.

Something in the air shifted ever so subtly, and Keiichi found himself stepping away from the two strangers. His back pressed against a wall, and slowly he raised his hands in front of him. Everyone was staring at him now. Roland, the Serph creature with its not-eyes, the pink-haired maybe-Argilla woman…

The door opened, and the pressure of multiple eyes on his person suddenly alleviated in favor of the surrounding individuals suddenly drawing weapons. Keiichi’s heart skipped a beat when both of Serph’s arms split in two from finger to elbow where a pair of twin, blade-like bones unfolded with a _snap_. And as two new people appeared, the tension in the air just as quickly dissolved into nothing. The pink haired woman lowered her weapon, as did Roland, though the Serph beast still kept its…blades out on display.

One of the two men, his hair an odd shade of lilac done up in multiple braids, stared at the group with large lavender eyes. “What’d we miss, Brudda?”

The man at his side, a hooded man with hair as green as his eyes, passively moved to Serph. “We cleared a fifty meter perimeter of the area. The demons here are weak, but numerous. I suggest a tactical retreat back to the Underground City before they can gather their forces en masse again.” Stoic green eyes swept over Keiichi and to Kathy. “We have innocents among us now. It would be better to accompany them back to safety rather than risk them in the passages.’

“Well if that ain’t the first time I’ve ever agreed with you on something, Gale.” Roland muttered, scooping down and gently cradling Kathy in his arms. “Let’s get back to base. I’ve got some things I want to ask Kathy’s moonlight lover over there.”

~*~

Roland had passed off the duty of carrying Kathy to Keiichi. The woman, was barely conscious throughout the remainder of the trip. An aftereffect, Argilla as she’d properly introduced herself, had explained. Something about the spells used to heal and how they mended the body with its own resources. After that she’d shoved a brown package of something that looked vaguely edible and had instructed him to eat it. The rations reminded him of thick, doughy crackers, yet after the first bite had left him ravenous he’d quickly consumed the item without much complaint.

The group had no need for stealth during the journey underground, for any…creatures they came upon were quickly dispatched by the others. It allowed plenty of time for questions, some of which were addressed to him by Argilla or the green-haired Gale, others of which he asked of them.

The more he learned of this new world, the more despair twisted in his gut.

A dying world…A dying Earth assaulted daily by a black sun that turned all it touched beneath its rays to stone; the virus it spread incurable. The utopian Karma Society, protected from the sun’s harmful rays by an all-encompassing glass dome that filtered the rays. The Atma virus and how it spread among the Karma Society’s soldiers from corrupted ‘solar data’, branding those it infected and transforming them into man eaters. Of how those ‘Avatar Tuners’ hunted those not safe within the Society’s walls and the resistance that had been formed to combat the soldiers and protect those who now dwelt underground.

There was more to the story than just what was said. He could see it in the way the group would share glances between each other. Of how they’d pause, carefully choosing how they answered one question after another. Their questions were carefully diverted away from _them_ ; these people who wore a gray uniform different from the Karma Society soldiers and who were all marked by orange and graced with a color that should not exist among human populations. Even Serph, who’d reverted to the form of a quiet man with silver hair and gray eyes to Roland, proved to not quite _fit_ in the picture that these people painted for him.

That man in particular made him nervous. Though Serph said nothing to him, he could feel the ‘leader’s’ eyes on him constantly, only leaving his person when danger was afoot. Their own questions about him were strange, their reactions to his answers even stranger. These people didn’t know what Japan was. They seemed unfamiliar with the lay of the land, almost as ignorant as himself until Kathy had appeared. Many of his responses were garnished with blank gazes or hidden behind quick, uncertain laughs.

_I’m a stranger with strangers from a strange land, brought together in a strange world._

The only one among the fighters who seemed to fit was Roland, who was donned in street clothes of a similar quality to Kathy. The only thing that showed he belonged to the group was a brown sleeve dyed orange. He, like Serph, spoke very little, content to observe Keiichi’s interactions with the others form a distance. _He knows._ Keiichi thought, carefully readjusting the woman on his back. _Of everyone here, I’m willing to bet he knows what’s going on more than anyone else._ His eyes strayed to Roland’s right hand, where the tattoo-like Atma branded his fist. Of the large group that had rescued Kathy and himself, he was the only person who hadn’t transformed into a demon. Had the man really infected himself with the virus in order to protect these ‘Lokapala’ people?

Keiichi involuntarily shuddered. To willingly infect oneself with a virus dangerous to mutate a person’s entire form…their entire personality…To allow something so alien to take over…And the consequence! Was it really worth it? Consuming others in order to maintain their own sanity? _Given the situation, would I-_ could _I do something similar if Belldandy’s life was in danger?_

It was not a question he wanted to know the answer to.

There were guards waiting for them when they finally approached the Underground City. Men dressed in old and dirty rags like Kathy, armed with rifles as they stared impassively down at the large group through dark, tinted glasses. A large, steel wall prevented anyone, anything from coming or going. Roland stepped forward and hailed the guards with a two-way radio the man pulled from one of his cargo pockets. A short conversation and the wall began to part as if by magic.

The man had waved them on after that, staying behind as he continued his conversation on the radio. Keiichi, though curious, said nothing. While the woman on his back was light-too light for someone of her size; Megumi probably weighed more than her-Kathy’s weight was wearing on him.

“Gale!” A small pack of youths raced towards them, led by a young, dark skin teen with a tan flat cap on his head. “What are you guys doing back so soon? I thought you were going to rescue that Sera girl!” The boy directed a brief frown to the hooded man with green hair. “Are you guys okay? What happened?”

Gale took a step forward, effectively blocking Keiichi’s gaze of the lead boy. “We discovered Kathy and another near one of the entrances outside.” He explained, the man’s voice calm and collected. “They were being attacked. We intervened.”

“Is she okay?”

Cielo, the young man with braided, lavender hair, took over. “She’ll be fine, Bro. De’ demons dinna’ stand a chance againt us, doe Kathy is gonna’ eat out her own stockpile a’ rations once she wakes up. Argilla cast some major _Dia_ magic on ‘er, so don’t expect any ration sales for a week or two.” He said cheerfully, and from the corner of his eye Keiichi could see the pink-haired Argilla squeeze her nose in annoyance.

“Don’t worry about any ration problems.” The woman quickly reassured. “We’ll stock up in the Karma Tower when we find Sera.”

The quiet Serph touched his arm as the other three continued speaking. Keiichi looked at the Tuner, finding the silver-haired man gesturing to Kathy. “What?”

The man gestured once more, this time holding his arms out and gesturing to himself.

Keiichi stared.

“He wants you to pass me over to him.” A weak voice mumbled in his ear, causing Keiichi to start. Fingers weakly gripped his shirt and there came a sharp intake of breath. Kathy released it in a slow hiss. “If you’re going to drop me, do it gently, okay? I feel…awful.”

“I’m not going to drop you.” Keiichi reassured her, looking at the woman with one concerned brown eye.

Another pat, this one harder than the last brought his attention back to Serph. While the man’s face remained expressionless, Keiichi couldn’t help but feel the man was slightly annoyed at him. “Ah…” He tilted his head slightly, just enough to get a better look at the miserable woman he was carrying. “Do…do you want me pass you on to, ah, Serph?” The name felt weird on his tongue without any honorifics to attach, but what was he supposed to call a man that turned into a monster?

Kathy grunted softly. “Do you know where I live?”

“No…”

“Then pass me to Serph. He’s been to my shop enough times to know what to do with me.”

With his arms free of the burden that was Kathy, Keiichi took the opportunity to look around at his new surroundings. The Underground City was exactly as its name suggested; a large, fortress of a city built under the wreckage of the old. A large street of yellow cobblestone covered the base of the town, with small staircases leading up to buildings and housing units ranging from single story to multi-story skyscrapers - ‘ceiling scrapers?’ There was nothing but darkness when Keiichi craned his head up- creating a small, tightly-knit living community. Large red safety cones lined either side of the main street, warning people away from areas where structural integrity had been lost and pieces of ceiling had collapsed between buildings. Around them, people young and old passed by, many of which watched them from the corner of their eyes, heads downcast as they quickly went about their business. Others stared openly, armed men and women hardened by cruel times and who beheld the small group with baleful gazes.

It made Keiichi’s skin crawl. _Are they afraid? Of who? Me? Or the others?_ The kids seemed at ease enough around them, which further surprised Keiichi when no adults moved forward to grab them.

The others seemed either not to notice or intentionally ignoring the stares, Serph taking the lead with Kathy resting on his back and Argilla at his side, explaining the woman’s condition and making recommendations in regards to diet. Cielo walked on behind them, having taken to chatting and joking with the small group of kids while Gale followed last, holding the rear and silently walking beside Keiichi.

“You have noticed that we are unwelcome here.” Gale murmured, startling Keiichi from his thoughts.

The man jumped. He’d been on edge ever since coming to this…world. “Yeah…they’re afraid of y-something.”

Gale inclined his head. “Correct. You know why.”

Keiichi flinched. “It-is it because of what you guys…did back there? What you turned into?”

Gale grunted. “The Embryon do not fit here. They fear we are no better than the ones who hunt them and so do not trust us.” The man tilted his head, just enough for Keiichi to catch one vibrant green eye staring at him. “You are different though. There is no hesitation in your step. You do not fear us like the Lokapala.”

Keiichi paused, his mind returning to the past, filled with giant wolves possessed by ultimate destruction programs and angelic demons. To demons and gods who walked in human flesh and the little bits and pieces he’d seen of their true bodies. He shrugged, a wan smile on his face. “You didn’t try to eat me when I first met you guys. I figured you were better than the things outside.”

Gale stared at him impassively for a long moment before inclining his head. “If only the others here were filled with such courage.” He murmured, before falling silent once more.

Baffled by his words, Keiichi remained speechless for the rest of their small walk.

~*~

The dark, unlit sign read _MAD MART_ above the small shack of a building, the outside littered with empty cans and old ammunition canisters. One or two people wandered around restlessly before a chained pull-down door, only to quickly depart at the group’s arrival. With no small amount of maneuvering and aid from Argilla, Kathy managed to dig her keys out of a cargo pocket. The short-haired brunette passed the keys on to her pink-haired companion, and Argilla opened the door to the little place with no further error.

The steel rattled noisily as it was pulled up, revealing a dark inside that’s only illumination proved to be a couple of green electronic screens. Upon stepping inside however, the ceiling lights flickered on, illuminating the small shop in a warm, yellow glow. Boxes and targets lined the inner walls, while bags, blankets, and other assorted merchandise hung from a grid on the ceiling. Several small tables displayed a multitude of ammunition, while a wall behind a counter held a large display of high caliber weapon, locked and sealed behind a thick layer of glass.

Gale looked over at the store’s owner. “Where do you store your rations?”

“In the back.” Kathy grumbled, Serph moving to sit her down on the countertop. “I keep them away from the displayed goods.” She explained. “People tend not to steal what’s not already in plain sight.”

Keiichi looked at her with a frown. “You aren’t afraid of people stealing all your…” He paused, searching for the right word. “…Munitions?”

As Serph and Gale departed for the room behind the counter, Kathy released a short bark of laughter. “Keiichi, we live in a world where weapons are plentiful and food is scarce. An ammo shortage is the least of anyone’s worries.” There came a crash from the other room, and the woman grimaced. “Please don’t let that be the ceramics.” The brunette muttered. “Johnny and I were saving that for something special.”

Gale walked out holding a piece of broken ceramic, Serph a step behind brushing white shards from his hair. Kathy pinched the bridge of her nose. “Let me help you.” She said, voice strained. “Keiichi, mind the storefront, will you? People may not _need_ to steal ammo, but that don’t mean they won’t if the opportunity isn’t presented.” Serph offered an arm to the woman, and together the three once more departed for the back.

Keiichi watched her retreating form with a frown before turning to Argilla. “Is it safe for her to be walking around like that?”

The woman shrugged, removing her rifle and propping it up against the counter. “As well as she’ll ever be, I suppose. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since coming here, it’s that the Lokapala are a tough tribe.”

A dark brow shot up in curiosity. “Tribe?”

“Ja Mon’.” Cielo said, placing a machine gun on the counter before hopping on top of it. “Dey be like de’ Wolves from de Junkyard; tough an’ silent an always fighten’ de Brutes. A weird bunch, dos guys.” He said, only to quickly add, “But in a good way!” when Argilla glared at him. “Dey were honorable. De entire tribe, not jus’ one or two like de Maribel.” The man winced suddenly, immediately falling silent as he sent a nervous glance to Argilla. A look of pain briefly flashed across her face, however the pink-haired Tuner waved him on.

_It sounds like these guys were part of a gang or something._ Keiichi thought. _But…if these guys are part of a gang, why the uniforms? How’d they get so heavily armed? And…what are they doing_ here _if they had their own territory to protect?_

“So you guys are still here.” Roland’s voice rose in the silence that descended upon the trio, and Keiichi looked up, finding the silver-haired man strolling into the shop. “And with the love bird too. I’d have thought you’d have left already after dropping Kathy off.”

Another crash, this one followed with a hearty bout of cursing rose from the back room. Cielo grinned. “De leadah an’ Gale wanted to make sure Kathy was set before leaven’.” He said, the harsh, angered voice of a woman berating a pair of Tuners rising above his words. “I don’ think it’s going too good.”

“I didn’t even know Kathy could raise her voice like that.” Argilla murmured. “If I didn’t know better, I’d have assumed Serph and Gale had locked themselves in a battle with a new demon.”

Roland shook his head in disdain. “You.” He said, pointing at Keiichi. “Don’t move from that spot. You and I are going to have a nice, long talk once Kathy has calmed down.”

Keiichi felt a lump rise in the pit of his stomach before hurriedly nodding in agreement. “Got it. It’s not like I can go anywhere anyways.”

The man sent a disbelieving look to Keiichi from behind his glasses before venturing behind the counter towards the others.

Almost as soon as he vanished, someone else appeared in the shop. This one an old woman, she hesitantly approached the shop, peering inside before slowly entering the building. “Kathy?” She asked, “Is Kathy around?”

“She’s in the back, Ma’am.” Keiichi responded with a short bow. “Is there something you need?”

The woman adjusted the glasses on her face, the lenses thick enough to make her eyes look buggishly huge. “I was wondering if there was a restock in _panaceas_ recently.” She said. “There’s been a bad bug going around with the children, and recently little Elinore has come down with it. I thought since Kathy returned maybe she found some _panaceas_ in her recent raid and-“

“I’ll go and ask for you.” Keiichi gently interrupted. “Just hang on one second.” The man quickly retreated, leaving the others to keep the elder busy and finding Roland speaking with Kathy.

The woman was sitting in a chair, a table at her side holding an opened box with multiple brown pouches inside. The brunette was reluctantly chewing on a ration as Roland spoke with her, Serph and Gale cleaning up the remains of multiple items that looked very broken. “-he’s on his way now. I told him we’d postpone the mission for another day so he could come and check on you.”

“We’ll lose money.” Kathy said. “You know how much trouble it is for Johnny to set up shop in any of those buildings. It’s even more dangerous to pack up and head out, especially when there’s no other Lokapala around to cover his retreat.” The woman glared angrily at Roland. “You’d have done us better to have just gone on with your mission rather than push it back. I’m holding you responsible if he gets hurt out there.”

Roland massaged his forehead in irritation. “Maybe if you didn’t bring stray Karma dogs-“

“He isn’t a part of the Karma Society.”

“You don’t know that.”

Keiichi coughed.

Roland and Kathy both turned to him. The man sent him a devastating glare. “Didn’t I tell you not to move from your spot?” He snapped, only for the brunette to throw the remains of her ration at his head.

“Leave him alone you damned, paranoid alcoholic.” She growled, before turning her attention to Keiichi. “What?”

Keiichi flinched, stopping himself from rubbing his head nervously. “You’ve got a customer out front.” He said. “She said something about wanting a… _panacea_? Am I saying that right?”

Identical frowns crossed the duo’s faces at his words. “Was it an old woman?” Roland asked.

At Keiichi’s nod Kathy cursed. “Mrs. O’Conner.” Both of the Lokapala members muttered.

“Keiichi, go and tell her we’re out of stock.” The woman grumbled, covering her face with one hand.

“Kathy, I find your advice misguided.” Gale stepped forward, a small packet in his hand. “You have several boxes worth of _panaceas_ here. There is no reason to lie to her.”

Keiichi found himself agreeing with the man. “She mentioned something about kids.” He revealed. “Someone called Elinore was sick and needed the medicine.”

The woman frowned. “My answer is the same, Keiichi.” She said. “We don’t have any _panaceas_ for sale here.”

When Keiichi opened his mouth once more to protest, Roland interrupted him. “Elinore died years ago.” He said lowly. “She was taken to the Internment Facility.”

_That_ seemed to get the Embryons’ attention. Both Tuners looked up sharply. “…I see.” Gale murmured, his words slow and controlled. The man took a deep, cleansing breath. “If this is true, why then does this woman wish for a _panacea_? It is of no use to one who is gone.”

Kathy looked away, leaving Roland to answer. “Not…everyone who survived the culling five years ago came out unscratched, Gale. There’s a limit to the strain a human’s mind can take before it breaks. Elinore was that final straw for Mrs. O’Conner.”

“And I’m not selling my goods to someone who’s not going to use them right.” Kathy growled. “Other people need them and all they do is rot in her house. The place reeks of moldy _panaceas_.”

Gale and Serph looked at each other. Gale raised a brow, and after a moment Serph nodded. Gale inclined his head. “We shall care for this customer.” He said, before both Tuners parted the room.

“Waste of resources.” Kathy muttered under her breath. “Ain’t no reason-just…” The woman shook her head in disgust, while Roland watched the duo leave thoughtfully.

“Never thought AI could be so human…” He mumbled.

“What’s the Internment Facility?” Keiichi ventured, knowing he’d immediately said something wrong with the way Kathy grimaced and Roland glared at him.

From the other room, Keiichi could just make out the happy crow of the old woman. “Oh, Bless you and your kindness David! Are you- for free? Thank you so much!” Mrs. O’Conner sounded close to tears. “Elinore will be back on her feet in no time with this!”

Roland narrowed his eyes. “I think it’s time we had our little chat.”


	2. The Hyde in Dr. Jeckle

" _The world sat on the verge of death. Science, created by men who acted as gods, assumed our image and betrayed its creators' purpose. Mankind signed a contract for great power and wealth…without realizing they had signed their own death warrant. I_ _suppose it couldn't be helped with people wasting their minds on drinking, and worse. But the ones picking up the tab had quite the price to pay. Needless to say, it was a lot more serious than paying off the barkeeper. The blazing black sun…Ruins and wasteland stretching as far as the eye could see…Plants withered from the corrupt data of the sunlight and people turned to stone, trapped forever between life and death. The survivors were forced underground, far away from their old lives. The lucky few chosen by the Karma Society lived in a sanctuary formed of God's wisdom, oblivious to the chaos outside."_

" _Hell…That's what it was – hell."_

_-Fred_

* * *

The fist collided painfully with his gut, and it was only the chair he was tied to that prevented him from falling to the ground. Something hard and sharp pierced his flesh, and his eyes bulged as soft flesh was sliced open. Red began to seep into his dirty white shirt, and his body alight with pain, Keiichi struggled to pull in a breath, finding it all the worse as his lungs seemed to catch fire. He tried to scream, yet his vocal cords were already singed to the point of uselessness, and so all that came out was a strangled rasp.

The copper giant, the source of his pain, turned and walked away with a growl. " _Diarama"_ It rumbled, extending the hand that was most human towards Keiichi. The two circular disks that emerged from its knuckles began to spin, and Keiichi grimaced as his vision was filled with a soothing green glow. The pain began to fade instantly, and in its place came a maddening itch. The man ignored it however, all his focus intent on drawing air into his burning lungs. Gasping, he sucked in breath after breath, raising his head just enough to stare at the creature acting as both torturer and medic.

It had to be seven, eight feet tall, dressed in what appeared to be some sort of natural bone armor designed to imitate copper. The flesh that wasn't covered in the odd substance was a ruddy, rusty red, decorated with strange, purple-black diamonds. Towards the hands and feet, the diamonds grew to become the dominant color, the creature resting on toes that looked closer to fingers, a pair of metal discs similar to the one on its left hand imbedded between the thick digits. Its right hand, no, its right _arm,_ consisted of a single, large weapon, looking vaguely like a Tibetan _vajra_ that had melded with the entity's arm. He couldn't tell where the weapon began and the flesh ended on it. And its head…goddesses its head…A single, snarling mouth was its only humanoid feature. The flesh above it immediately dissipated into more of the coppery bone-armor, its head warping into a large, empty pit, as though something had cut a majority of its head off and scooped out what remained. Surrounding it was a copper halo, large and encircling, that was connected by some other means behind the back of its jaw.

It had no eyes-none that Keiichi could see-but he'd quickly learned that it was hardly handicapped, if at all.

"Just answer the questions, kid." Lethargically, Keiichi tilted his head to one side, meeting the concerned gaze of the vaguely Arab man at his side. "Who are you working for? Cuvier? One of the Karma Society's generals? Who put you up to this?"

His energy already sapped from the multiple heals the monstrosity had forced on him-goddesses, how many times had they been running in circles? Three? Four times?-Keiichi could only manage a weak grunt.

The man, Adil, frowned and looked towards the behemoth, his brow creased with worried lines. "Roland, we need to take a break. If we keep this up much longer we're going to put this guy in a coma."

_Roland?_ Keiichi's tired mind wondered. _Ah, that's right, Roland._ The monster before him was Roland's Avatar, the monster the Atma virus had infected him with. The man had changed after forcibly dragging Keiichi back to his…headquarters, that's right, Keiichi was in Roland's headquarters, and had begun interrogating him.

_"Not until we know his motives."_ Roland's voice was rough and scratching, vaguely reminding Keiichi of a lion's roar. _"I'm not putting any more people in danger."_

"Yeah?" Adil snapped. "And what happens if we find out this guy is innocent? Roland, you've pushed this man to the borders of death _five times_ already! _Five fucking times!_ He's human, like us-" the man caught himself, "-like _me_ , Roland. He isn't a Tuner like that Cielo kid or-or you!"

Roland paused at the man's words, turning to face the human. _"What are you trying to say, Adil?"_

The man grimaced. "I'm saying you need to stop this," he said quietly, "before you turn into something you hate. Because right now, from my perspective, you ain't no better than one of Karma's soldiers."

Roland froze. Then, very slowly, walked towards Adil. For a second Keiichi's tired mind thought he saw the same, red veins that had preceded Roland's transformation appear once more on the creature, yet when he blinked no such veins could be seen. Instead the air seemed to shimmer around the monstrosity's form, and then Roland was Roland once more.

The man approached Keiichi, and the bound prisoner could do nothing as the silver-haired Tuner lifted his chin. Lackluster brown met heated gray, and then Roland released him, allowing his chin to drop once more with a grunt. The Lokapala leader sighed. "Let's…let's get him cleaned up." He finally said, and Keiichi looked up at him tiredly as Adil fiddled with his binds. "Kathy can take care of you, since she found you. At least until we can figure out what else to do with you."

Keiichi's head bobbed, eyelids growing heavy with exhaustion. He barely noticed the rope that tied him to the chair going slack. With sleep on the border of his consciousness, the man closed his eyes.

"You were never this violent before, Roland. What the hell got into you?"

The last thing he heard was Roland's fading voice. "It's the virus, Adil. It…changes people…not for the better. I…promise. Kill me…turn…them…"

And then came peaceful oblivion.

~*~

There was someone near his side. Someone huge. Paralyzed, he laid where he was, unable to move as the creature slowly walked around him. Something cold and sharp pressed into his skin-just enough to threaten, not enough to break, and slowly began scraping down across his bare flesh. It trailed from his throat down to his chest, tracing delicate, dangerous circles that made him shudder. Down his chest and to his stomach and across his abdomen. _I'll skin you alive._ It hissed. _I'll spill your innards and feast on your intestines…_

Keiichi awoke with a start, finding himself lying on a hard cot. Breathing harshly, the man checked himself over, finding his shirt red and torn yet the flesh beneath whole and healthy. The mechanic stared at the holes in the cloth, large and ragged, the edges stiff with dried blood.

"There's some fresh clothes on the table next to you if you want to change."

Keiichi jumped, almost falling out of the cot as he struggled to find the source of the voice. "Who's there?"

From the corner of the room, a small light glowed in the darkness. It swayed back and forth randomly, and it took Keiichi a moment to recognize it as a cigarette head. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy." The light rose, moving from the corner and along the wall before pausing. "I'm not going to hurt you Bud." The lights flickered on, and Keiichi winced.

Blinking spots from his eyes, Keiichi looked towards the owner of the cigarette. A man stood leaning against the wall, standing next to a box Keiichi assumed was a light switch. He was pressing the lighted end against the wall, effectively putting it out while he observed him with thoughtful bright, blue eyes. "How you holding up?" The man wore a black bandanna over the lower half of his face, effectively hiding everything from the nose down. He wore a muddy yellow tactical vest rested atop a black jacket, cargo pants close to bursting with materials.

Keiichi sucked in a deep, calming breath. "Who are you?" He asked, carefully readjusting himself on the cot and pressing his back against the wall. The event left him breathless, and for a moment Keiichi stared at his hands, wondering why they were trembling.

"Johnny." The man responded, and Keiichi looked up, just in time to see the masked 'bandito' flick his cigarette off to one side and move towards the cot. "I'm Kathy's husband. Adil brought you here after Roland ripped you a new one." The man paused, looking Keiichi over for a moment. "Or three or four, give or take."

"I wasn't trying anything with you wife." Keiichi muttered. "Just…in case you were wondering." It had been one of the first things Roland had tried to get him to confess. A 'warm-up'. And then the punches had started…Keiichi grimaced, burying his face in one hand. "I've already got someone back home. And I'm not looking for someone else."

"I know." Keiichi blinked and looked up, jumping when a ration packet sailed towards him. The mechanic didn't have time to react, and the package lightly hit his shoulder before falling into his lap. The man looked up at Johnny. "Kathy told me what happened. My woman's a greedy, stubborn old hag when she wants to be, but she ain't a cheater." The corner of Johnny's eyes crinkled up in a smile. "Plus she's a shitty liar."

"Oh." Keiichi stared at the man for a long moment before dropping his gaze back to the packet in his lap. "Thanks." Weakly he tore it open and dug into the doughy cracker, savoring it as though it had been formed by Belldandy's own hands.

"Thanks for watching out for my wife." Johnny replied. "Most of the people here in the Lokapala are just normal folks trying to get by. Most of them are too afraid to go outside gathering resources, and my own job means I can't always be there to watch Kat's back. If you hadn't been there, chances are she'd have been killed by that Andres last night."

Keiichi swallowed the thick goop in his mouth, feeling vaguely like he was swallowing undercooked _mochi_. "Didn't do anything." He grumbled. "She still got hurt because of me."

Johnny shrugged. "She's still alive." He said. "She's up and walking, still has all her limbs attached…just cranky as all fuck because of Roland and the Embryon and eating her own merchandise. I can't complain. Neither can you. Hurt is better than dead out here."

Keiichi nodded dubiously, taking another bite of his ration. For a long while he chewed in silence, Johnny seemingly content to pull up a chair and watch him eat. "How is she?" He asked after finishing the last of the ration off.

Johnny tossed him another one, and Keiichi found his stomach protesting too much to refuse the gift. He caught it and tore it open.

"She's fine. Got her to finally wash the blood off her face when I got back. Damn near had to shove a Soma Drop down her throat to get her to eat. Didn't help her mood much." The man leaned back in his chair, scratching beneath his bandana. "She's watching the storefront right now. Told her we'd lose too much money if we closed shop this morning after everything that happened last night." The man sighed. "Course with her current attitude, it don't matter much. She's been scaring away any customers who so much as glance inside."

Keiichi cracked a smile before biting into the second ration.

"So now that you're here, what do you plan to do?"

The mechanic swallowed, a soft frown forming on his face. "I…I don't know." He confessed. "I don't know anything about this place other than what I've seen and been through since…last night." Roland's demonic, snarling avatar flashed across his vision, and Keiichi closed his eyes, frown deepening. "That Roland guy doesn't seem to want me around, so I know I'll be staying out of his way."

Johnny snorted. "Don't worry about Roland. The man's got other things to worry about than some lost kid like you. Especially now that that Serph guy is stepping up." The man laughed. "If Roland isn't careful, he's gonna find those Embryon guys running this place before Adil can even say 'demon'."

Keiichi smiled weakly. "Are there other places like this?"

"Refugee camps?" Johnny asked, and Keiichi nodded. "There are, but none of them are as fortified as the Lokapala's. Most of 'em live a sort of subterranean nomadic lifestyle, moving from one place to another to avoid demons. Those that are more stationary don't last long. When the demons hit 'em, they hit hard."

"So you're saying this is the safest place around?"

Johnny shook his head. "Safest place around is the Karma Society, if you're lucky enough to become a civilian." He said. "Become a resident there and you're safe from demon consumption." The man's eyes narrowed. "Course, that safety is sacrificed if you're a soldier or a scientist. Soldiers get infected with the Atma virus and the scientists are usually the first source of food for those who give in fully to their demon forms. When the soldiers go mad, they lose the right to live and become food for their brothers in arms, too." The man shook his head. "Nasty way to go. Demons are ruthless when they're hungry."

Keiichi thought of the scorpion man and the owl-beast, of Roland and his rage, and nodded in agreement. "Guess I'm staying here then."

Johnny nodded. "Wasn't planning on having you go anywhere anyways." He said, and Keiichi blinked.

"Wait, what?"

"Kathy says you owe us a pretty penny after all that's been done." Johnny sent him a sideways look, and Keiichi's jaw fell open. "She told me you ruined our flower beds. That true?"

"I-what?" Keiichi sputtered. "You mean-you mean the flower I stepped on?"

Johnny's brows raised high enough to disappear beneath his dark bangs. "You stepped on one of our flowers?" He demanded. "Which one?"

"A white one?"

"A Jasmine?"

Keiichi shrugged helplessly. He knew machines, not flowers. "Maybe?"

"Son of a fucking bitch." The man covered his face with one hand, glaring at him with a frosty blue eye. "You know how much that cost us?"

Keiichi felt a lump of dread settle uncomfortably in his stomach. Slowly, he shook his head.

"Forty thousand dollars."

"F-forty-dollars." What was left of his ration fell from Keiichi's hand. "You mean like American dollars?"

"No I mean like Dogecoins." Johnny snapped, and Keiichi winced. "On top of that, you lost Kathy's knife-that was an anniversary gift by the way-and you've been supplied with free rations _from our stock_ since Roland dropped you off with us. The clothes are from our supply room, too."

"But I don't have that kind of money on me!" Keiichi protested. "Most I have is whatever's in my wallet, and that might be a couple hundred yen bills, if even that! I can't pay off what you're asking."

"We know. We checked your wallet while you were still out cold." The man dug into his pocket and tossed the aforementioned item to Keiichi. "Yen won't buy shit since the economy went under. Nothing to exchange it for out here. So Kathy and I decided you'd work for us until your debt was paid off."

Keiichi stared at the man incredulously, mouth opening and closing like beached fish. Finally the man swallowed. "What am I supposed to do for you guys?"

"Kathy can't keep going out solo on our raids." Johnny said. "With Roland finally sobering up and these Embryon making changes for the better, I'm going to be out in the field more and more often. I need someone who can look out for her when I can't- she won't always be as lucky as she was last night."

The mechanic eyed the merchant warily. "You want me to be a bodyguard?"

The man shrugged. "Bodyguard, pack mule, clerk, inventory, storage…" He checked off his fingers. "Am I forgetting anything?"

"But I'm not-I don't know how to fight." Keiichi protested, staring at the man with anxious brown eyes. "I mean, not against, well, demons or anything. Sure, maybe I can take out someone pointing a gun at me when he's right next to me, but I-I've never _killed_ anyone before!"

"Well, there's a time and place for everyone." Johnny rose to his feet, walking over and patting Keiichi on his shoulder. "You'll learn." He said, the humor that had been present in his voice throughout their conversation gone. In its place was a cold, hard seriousness. "Like it or not, you'll learn."

~*~

The next few days passed by faster than they had a right to.

Keiichi, in debt to the owners of the _MAD MART_ , found his debt rising as Johnny provided him with room and board in the shop that was equally a home to the owners. Apparently, Keiichi had arrived a day too late, in the man's words; the Lokapala had recently released a great many refugees from the mysterious Internment Facility, and with nowhere to go the many people had taken residence in the Underground City. Any areas that had once been vacant were now filled with occupants.

Kathy had further warned him away from them. She'd explained the Internment Facility to him. How those who were taken there were held prisoner by a Tuner known only as 'The Jailer'. How easily the creature could capture those who tried to escape. The uselessness, the hopelessness, the despair that had run rampant within those cells…

How those imprisoned might occasionally bear witness to a demon being imprisoned next to them, mad and raving and ravenous. And how any day could be their last, as one by one prisoners were taken further down into the facility, where the sound of blades and whirr of machines was a steady and constant hum, and how those who went down there never came up again.

The woman spoke of the place with such an intimacy Keiichi suspected she'd gone through the hellish prison herself. Yet when he'd finally gathered his courage to ask her, Kathy did nothing but shake her head and smile solemnly, speaking of a devil's luck and an angel's blessing.

It had been Johnny, he later learned, who'd gone through the nightmare.

"People who go through that kind of experience change." Kathy had explained. "It's hard to trust anything when you spend so much time in that sort of environment. The only ones you feel you can really trust are those who went through it with you." She'd gestured to a small group of shell-shocked looking individuals who eyed her warily. "Outsiders are considered hostile. And people like that…who think everyone around them is a possible predator…well, just put yourself in their shoes and you'll understand."

He'd decided to take the store manager's word for it after that.

Neither Johnny nor Kathy taught him how to shoot, ironically.

That detail was left to a man named Joseph, an easygoing man who was quick to smile with a black crew cut and a stubbly beard. Johnny's twin brother, the man lived with the other guerrilla forces among the Lokapala. Keiichi had been introduced to him during his first 'dinner' in the Underground City. He and Johnny had lined up with others in a large cafeteria line, being served portions greasy meat and hard bread passed out by other denizens. The man had taken a seat across from him with Kathy at his side, sounding so much like the more familiar Johnny that for a moment Keiichi mistook the man for his twin.

They'd had a full on conversation for ten minutes before Kathy eventually stepped up and ended Joseph's joke, revealing the man as a familiar stranger before properly introducing the two of them.

Johnny it seemed preferred to eat his meals in private.

The feel of a handgun in his grip had felt awkward at first, dismantling and cleaning foreign and clumsy to hands more familiar with wrenches and motors. He flinched with every pull of the trigger, with every echo of the gun going off, yet Joseph had proven to be both a patient and tolerant individual. "When a demon gets up close and personal, aim doesn't matter anymore." He'd instructed. "At that point, just fire in the general direction of the monster. Bullets won't do much against 'em unless they're either human or the bullets have elemental properties anyways, but a big enough spray will at least keep them back for a while. Hopefully long enough for you to run."

Sleep on those nights came with the smell of gunpowder and ringing ears as he fell into a restless slumber.

Eventually it all became so commonplace he no longer recognized it anymore.

His progress was slow, yet with Joseph's coaching Keiichi's aim slowly got better, his hesitation not quite as frequent as it once was. Occasionally one of the Embryon, those few dressed in uniform gray, would watch from afar as he practiced in the makeshift shooting range that had been set up in one of the less habitable than the rest. Even rarer, when it seemed as though the Tuners had some time to kill one or two would approach him, giving Keiichi further advice and, scarily enough, offering themselves as targets.

He denied their offers every time.

Until the day Joseph took the most persistent of the bunch, Cielo, up on his offer.

"You're serious?!" Keiichi almost screamed, brown eyes bulging in his skull as he stared at the older man.

Across from him, Joseph grinned, wrapping a friendly arm around the braided Cielo's shoulders. "Why not? You need to learn how to shoot at live targets sooner or later. This'll be perfect for you!"

Cielo mimicked the guerrilla soldier's action, smiling largely at Keiichi. "Dyaus can take a couple rounds easy." He said. "He's beddah wit' bullets dan I am."

Dyaus. Keiichi was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the Tuners had names for their demon forms. Dyaus, the female Prithivi, Gale's Vayu, Serph's icy Varuna, and Roland's Indra. They spoke of the beastly forms as though they were separate entities from their human selves. It was puzzling, and only further fueled his caution around the infected individuals.

Because of the many questions that came to mind, many of them were of his own morality in shooting other Tuners.

Cielo moved down the field, stopping near the bullseye Joseph had initially set up for Keiichi. The paper was littered with bullet holes on the outer rings, with one or two lucky shots having made it closer to the center. The lilac-haired man waved to Keiichi from the other end of the field. After a moment, Keiichi hesitantly looked at the Tuner through the scope that had been attached to the rifle, watching quietly as the air seemed to swirl around the uniformed man. Light began to emanate from his body, and in a sudden flash of light the demon that was Dyaus replaced the Embryon once known as Cielo.

The creature grinned at him from within its bony, white skull, hovering lightly in front of the target. The demon cocked its head to one side, and Keiichi jumped when it released a roar that echoed against the surrounding walls.

Keiichi raised his head from the scope, his face pale. "I don't want to do this, Joseph."

The older man stared at him from where he'd been leaning against a pile of debris. "You'll have to do it sooner or later." He replied. "Better now than when your life is on the line."

Yet Keiichi shook his head, lowering the rifle "I-no. No. I can't simply shoot at another person like this."

Joseph sighed and straightened, walking over of Keiichi. "Give me your rifle then."

The mechanic looked over at the soldier with startled eyes. "Ah, o-okay." He said, fumbling with the safety switch before handing the weapon over. The man took it without comment, yet rather than remove the bullet Joseph instead raised the rifle, toggled the safety switch, took aim, and fired.

The weapon's discharge echoed even more loudly than Dyaus's roar.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Keiichi cried, brown eyes wide with shock and horror. "Are you trying to kill him or something? What happens if you hit Cielo?"

Yet his words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Joseph reached into a cargo pocket, withdrawing a pair of small binoculars and passing them to Keiichi. "Shut up, you're distracting me."

Keiichi stared at the binoculars, than looked down the field towards Cielo-Dyaus. A confident scream arose once more from the beast, and after a moment's hesitation Keiichi raised the binoculars to his eyes. Another shot went off in his ears, causing the man to flinch. But not before seeing the demon's immediate reaction following the shot.

One of Dyaus's stiff arms, plated with an armor-like material that prevented the limbs from bending at any known elbows, angled to one side. Something sparked off the hard blue surface, causing the creature to momentarily twitch, but otherwise showed know visible damage. It straightened, once again tilting its head at an angle in curiosity.

Once more Dyaus screamed.

"Get it now?" Keiichi looked up, finding Joseph staring smugly at him. "Got nothing but normal bullets here. No elemental properties to 'em or anything special like that. Not even tracer rounds. Just the standard metal and gunpowder humans have used for decades on each other." The man offered him the rifle once more. "Your turn."

Keiichi swallowed nervously, taking the rifle and staring at it as though he was handling an angry serpent. He looked warily at his instructor, a frown on his face. "You're sure I won't hurt him?"

The man shrugged. "Worse that'd happen would be that he changed back on the trigger squeeze." He said. "But then, one less Tuner in the world's a bit of an improvement, wouldn't you say?"

Keiichi chose not to comment.

Instead the man grabbed the weapon, checking the chamber before reloading the rifle as had been drilled into him every day since Joseph began instructing him. Falling into a crouch, Keiichi braced the butt end of the rifle against his shoulder, wrapping the leather sling equipped to the ringlets around his arm for additional support. Resting his lead hand on one knee, the man looked through the scope towards his target, finding Dyaus oddly still from where it observed him across the field.

Nervously readjusting the grip on the rifle, Keiichi swallowed, taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly. His finger moved to rest on the trigger, and once more the mechanic took a deep breath, trying to ease his frantic heart. _Pull on the exhale._

Keiichi slowly exhaled, centering the crosshairs of the scope on Dyaus's chest. He slowly began to apply pressure on the trigger…

And stopped.

The man raised the weapon, flipping on the safety once more with a shake of his head. "I can't do it." He said. "Joseph, I'm sorry. Even with everything-"

"Forget it." Joseph cut him off, irritation evident in his voice. "We'll stop for today. I'll go with Kathy topside tonight." The man rubbed his face with one hand, breathing a deep sigh. "Just….Go get Cielo. Let him know we're done."

Keiichi nodded, feeling a lump of guilt rise in his throat. Shouldering his weapon, the man waved towards the demon, gesturing him towards the two humans. Dyaus did nothing however, merely hovering in his same spot, occasionally tilting his head to one side in a mannerism that reminded Keiichi a bit too much like a dog. "Well, I know he doesn't have any eyes…I know he can see me though…" The man mumbled to himself, hesitantly stepping out into the firing range and moving towards the blue monstrosity. "I wonder how he sees if he doesn't have any eyes. Heat vision? Echolocation?" There was no way to tell without directly asking the Tuner himself.

"Cielo," was he supposed to call him Dyaus in this form? "we're done for the day." He called out. "You can go ahead and change back. I…needed a break from training."

The creature tilted its head to one side in curiosity, whatever means it used to hover coming to a stop as its feet touched the ground. Dyaus stared at him and…chirped, before cocking his head to the other side.

Keiichi stopped a short distance before the man-turned-demon, staying well out of range of its long arms. "Cielo?"

A blade popped out of the strange horn that rested atop Dyaus's head.

Keiichi started. "Cielo, what are you doing?" He asked in alarm.

The creature screamed at him.

And before Keiichi even realized what he was doing, the man found himself running, Dyaus hot on his tail.

The world seemed to narrow, his gaze centering on Joseph, who was waving and shouting something at him. A shriek arose behind him, and two somethings collided with his back, knocking Keiichi to the ground. The man released a shout as the ground came rushing to meet him. He caught himself and rolled, watching as something large and ominous flew above his head with enough force to create its own wind.

Dyaus soared past him before rising, and panting Keiichi stumbled to his feet, readying to make another run for it only for the ground in front of him to erupt with lightning. With a shout the mechanic stumbled backwards, shielding his face as the hair on his arms stood erect from static. The man looked up, finding Dyaus dropping into a dive towards him and cursed. "Cielo, what are you doing?!" He cried.

If the Tuner heard him, if the demon _understood_ him, he gave no sign, instead shrieking as feet that all too easily resembled a raptor's talons spread apart.

Joseph was shouting something at him. _"Shoot him, Keiichi! Shoot him before he kills you!"_ And gasping, his heart thudding in his ears, the man grabbed the strap his gun hung by, sliding it from his back and taking aim at the beast.

The man pulled back on the trigger, only to find it stop half-way. "Shit!" Keiichi swore, and as Dyaus swooped down on him the man dodged to the side, talons that could easily pierce his flesh finding purchase in earth and debris. The demon came close enough that Keiichi could have touched it if he'd wanted to, yet as it was the man was too focused on putting distance between the two of them before Dyaus thought to tear into him with the blade on its head.

Once more Dyaus launched itself into the air, this time launching a bolt of electricity from its maw as well. It was pure luck on Keiichi's part that the bolt didn't touch him, and fumbling with the safety the man once more aimed the weapon at the beast. This time, a spray of bullets launched themselves at the demon when the mechanic pulled the trigger, causing the beast to flinch in the air.

It did little to stop the demon, however, and once more Keiichi struggled to his feet, stumbling into a run in the hopes of outpacing the creature. A sound reminiscent of a jet engine arose behind him, and too frightened to look back Keiichi ran harder. The noise grew louder, and the mechanic felt something wrap around his upper arms. A brief glance revealed blue, almost hand-like talons, and Keiichi screamed as there was a sudden tug upwards.

And then his feet were no longer touching the ground.

Looking down, Keiichi watched with wild, terrified eyes as the debris of the Underground city began to grow distant, leaving the man at the mercy of Dyaus's grip. He could see Joseph beneath him, a grimace on the man's face as he lowered the rifle from where he'd been aiming at the demon. " _Heat a' battle's a lot different from a practice range, isn't it?_ " A voice, rough and grating, somehow made its way to Keiichi's ears through the noise that surrounded him.

"C-cielo?" Keiichi gasped, his limbs flailing about wildly in the absence of the ground. "Was-was this all a joke?!" He cried, trying to wrap his hands around Dyaus's legs and finding the action painful; the demon's grip tight and unyielding to his own flesh and muscles.

" _Stop struggling. You'll only hurt yourself."_ Dyaus advised. " _I'm not going to kill you. Or even hurt you, for that matter."_

"What, so that electricity was a joke back there?" Keiichi demanded, gingerly submitting to the fact that there was little he could do in his current situation and trying hard to ease the tension in his body. "Fuck man, don't tell me this was some sort of trick on your end." The man couldn't help but think back to the shrine and the numerous times he'd fallen victim to a stray 'Urd Bolt' during a sibling dispute. "Last thing I need is to find someone who can go toe to toe with Urd's magic." He grumbled.

A bellow that reminded Keiichi of an angry bull emerged above his head. It took him a minute to realize the demon was laughing. " _Ah, so you are the consort of the middle Norn. Now I see. You are a long way from home, Mortal."_

Brown eyes widened in surprise. "Norn…you're a god?!" Keiichi cried, once more greeted with the bull-laugh. "But-Cielo, what about-"

" _This is not Cielo speaking, Keiichi."_ The demon roared, the beast's wings tilting at an angle that sent the duo spiraling upwards nauseatingly. _"Cielo sleeps right now, when the solar noise is at its strongest. This is Dyaus, Father Sky himself."_ An odd chirp echoed hollowly in the creature's throat. _"Urd and I practiced magic together many a time as children. It is good that she was so careful with her magic then. Though it may not show, Urd is a very disciplined goddess. If you were indeed accidentally struck by her bolts, then it was only through her own mastery of magic that she did not kill you."_

Keiichi gaped at the demon, staring up at the creature in shock. "But you-Cielo is…what's going on?"

The demon snorted. " _We are fortunate to be so far underground. The Sun's rays are blocked down here, and when its light grows strongest I was able to temporarily take over rather than the partial, more maddening transformation that undertakes my Avatar when the Noise grows too great."_ The demon explained.

Keiichi understood about one in five words in all the demon said.

" _You smelled different to us upon our first meeting, Keiichi."_ Dyaus continued to explain. _You made Varuna curious, my son Indra, suspicious. You smell too much of gods and demons for us to simply dismiss."_ The demon paused there before continuing after a moment. " _I apologize for Indra's behavior. He is a wild god that does not always know how to control his temper. It is bad to see that he has chosen a faithless drunkard like Roland as his Avatar."_

Keiichi could think of no response for the strange apology. "I don't know how I got here." He explained. "From what I remember I was back home in Nekomi, making some modifications on my bike when I came to here."

" _You are in an alternate Earth."_ Dyaus explained, swopping into a steep dive that left Keiichi's stomach doing flip flops. _"One with an Ultimate Destruction program that has been initiated. The humans here have taken to calling it 'God', despite the fact that those very creatures, and their demonic counterparts, are what have come to possess their comrades."_

"A what?" Keiichi asked, his heart leaping into his throat at the mention of an ultimate destruction program. "You mean like the Lord of Terror? But we defeated that thing! We got it on to a floppy disk and Skuld wiped it clean!"

" _That is in your world, not in this one. There is more than one Ultimate Destruction Program. The humans of this world have evolved to the point where a test is needed to ensure they are fit to continue to call this planet home. They have destroyed their ecosystem to the point of almost unrepairable, and because of that they have awakened their own Ultimate Destruction Program. We have come, gods and demons alike, to test the will of those strong enough to house our spirits."_

"I-I don't understand." Keiichi stammered, "Are you telling me that everyone here is supposed to die? Why would you…why aren't you stopping it!?"

" _It is not my place to stop it, nor is it yours. I have lent my power to one who bears the strength to change that path, however it is up to Cielo and the rest of his tribe to decide how that path must be changed. You come from outside this domain, and thus you can do little but bear witness to the end, should it come. I have only the strength given to my Avatar. I cannot send you back to your home dimension."_

"Then what will happen to me, to _everyone_ , if Cielo and the others fail?"

_Then like the rest of humanity, you too shall die. This world shall undergo Conception once more, and a new race shall try to succeed where Humanity has failed."_ The demon's descent slowed, gliding to the ground with ease. " _My time is almost up. Cielo shall return once more. Do not speak of our conversation, Mortal."_

Keiichi's feet touched the ground, and Dyaus released him. _"Varuna believes you are here for a reason, though it is too early to tell what that may be at this point. Be on guard, Consort of Norns, and do not try to seek out that which is familiar to you. This a land built on the need of survival. Survive, Keiichi Morisato, and show us the strength that lies within one loved by many goddesses."_

Keiichi stumbled to a stop as Dyaus glided over his head, body moving low to the ground before immediately slowing, landing gracefully farther off. The demon's body glowed once more, and then Dyaus was gone, replaced with the human Cielo once more. The lilac-haired man turned to look at Keiichi, and for a brief moment the mechanic saw the demon, the god, that inhabited the Tuner's body. The youth stared at Keiichi with unnaturally intense golden eyes, his features shadowed by an unknown light source.

Then the man blinked. The light vanished, and eyes that matched the color of Cielo's braids smiled at Keiichi. "You good, Mon?" He asked. "I dinnah mean to go so wild wit' ya." The man walked over and clapped a hand on Keiichi's shoulder good-naturedly. "You tink you can go out and watch out for Katy' an' de oters now?"

Farther down the field Joseph was running towards them, sprouting curses and concerns over the two individuals.

Keiichi looked down at his rifle, rubbing the cold metal with a thumb. The demons were humans. The demons were gods. The man took a deep breath. _Survive._ Dyaus's words echoed in his mind.

"I don't know." He admitted.

~*~

That night Joseph took Kathy out to scavenge, leaving Keiichi behind to mind the store.

He did his best to ignore the disappointment on both their faces, and tried even harder to ignore the lump of guilt that settled in his chest when they left.

Johnny left that night as well, departing for places unknown in support of an upcoming combined attack by the Lokapala and the Embryon.

Which meant the Embryon were gone as well. Keiichi wasn't sure if he was grateful or not for Cielo's departure.

And so it continued for the rest of the week. Night would fall, Kathy would leave with Joseph as her backup, and Keiichi was left behind to brood in their wake. Sometimes they would return with multiple rations and other supplies in their possessions, quietly bickering to each other as Kathy unloaded the items for Keiichi to organize. Other times they were not so fortunate, returning with obvious injuries that spoke of one too many close calls, Kathy pale and shaking with an injured Joseph not far behind her.

There was little talk during those times. Little time _to_ talk with the need to care for injuries ranging from light bites to rotting tissue, mild burns to horrific frostbite. Oftentimes a chunk of the supplies gathered were in turn used on the obtainers, healing wounds and curing poisons before they became life-threatening.

Each time they returned, the guilt in Keiichi's chest swelled a bit more.

It wasn't until the following Monday of a bad raid that things took an unexpected turn for the worse.

Saturday night's raid had been bad, and with Johnny's temporary return from the latest raid, Keiichi had been allowed to sleep in that day. And so it was unfortunate that the morning was hailed with a shriek from the storefront.

The scream startled the man badly enough that he fell from the bed Johnny had set up from, him, only to quickly stumble to his feet as the sounds of shouts and crashes followed the initial scream. His heart in his throat, Keiichi quickly raced down the stairs that led to the storefront, only to freeze in the stairway's threshold at the sight that greeted him.

It was a demon.

A type he'd yet to encounter, the creature consisted of a leering jack-o-lantern's head with a green wizard's hat and a blue cloak, floating in the far corner of the room next to the store's entrance. The man could see nothing beyond the cloak other than a white glove, which held a small lantern whose flame burned with an internal light. It glared with baleful, glowing red eyes. " _I told you, ho!"_ It shrieked, its voice high and strangled at a pitch no human could ever achieve. _"It's Me-heee!"_

From behind the counter, a wild-eyed Kathy tossed what looked like a grenade at the creature. Keiichi dove for cover, and the grenade exploded upon impact, coating the creature and the corner it was trapped in with ice. "I don't care what you say!" Kathy shrieked, grabbing another grenade from a box that had been torn open and hoisting it above her head threateningly. "First you come in here claiming to be my brother-in-law, and now you're calling me a _whore_!" The woman raged, frantic and trembling as she pointed to the monster. "I'll fucking kill you for even stepping foot in here!"

The woman's arm went back to throw the second grenade, and warily peeking over the _Mad Mart_ counter Keiichi found his eyes meeting the demon's . " _Morisat-ho!"_ It screamed. " _You gotta stop her! It's me-hee, Joseph!"_ It wailed.

"You're kidding me…" Keiichi muttered, staring at the pumpkin demon with wide eyes. "Joseph, what the hell did you do to yourself?"

The creature formally known as Joseph didn't respond, instead screeching _hee-ho_ before thrusting his lantern into the air. A strange, blue aura engulfed the creature, and then Keiichi found himself dragged to the ground as a secondary grenade collided with the blue energy.

The explosion was strong enough to make the building's foundation shake, loose tile from the ceiling raining down on the duo's heads. Kathy pushed herself off Keiichi, a snarl on her face as she snagged another grenade. Keiichi grabbed her. "Stop." He hissed. "You're going to bring the roof down on us! Didn't you hear what that thing said? It's Joseph!"

The woman tore her hand out of his grip. "It's a demon." She told him flatly. "It needs to die."

"Need's to-" Keiichi stared at the woman in shock. "Did you forget who- _what_ saved our asses when I first met you?" He demanded.

"Did you forget what tried to kill us?" Kathy retorted. The woman lurched towards the shelf beneath the counter, withdrawing a handgun that had escaped Keiichi's notice. "I'm not going to be killed by that thing," she growled, "whatever it was before, it's not human now. And I'm not about to let myself be eaten by a demon."

"He's your brother-in-law!" Keiichi snapped, his conversation with Dyaus returning to him. "Just because his form's changed doesn't mean he's lost his humanity!" The mechanic grabbed the woman, struggling to wrestle the weapon from her grip. From farther in the shop, Keiichi heard a distinct _'hee-ho'_ from Joseph, causing the man to grimace. Fighting to keep the gun's barrel away from his chest, Keiichi shouted, "Joseph, turn back! You need to change back!" Kathy's leg's flailed about, her face a mask of terror as she fought against Keiichi. The man ignored it however, pinning the frightened woman to the ground and directing the gun to the ceiling.

And not a moment too soon, either.

The gun recoiled as Kathy pulled back on the trigger, causing the woman to cry out and for Keiichi to flinch. Drywall and tile rained down upon the duo's head, and for a long moment nothing but silence reigned in the building. Keiichi could hear his heart beating madly in his hears, and beneath that, Kathy was panting heavily. There was a heavy, near-deafening clatter as the handgun slipped from Kathy's fingers and fell to the cold floor, and beneath him the woman whimpered with a start. Keiichi winced.

"K-kathy?" A voice, male, human, and with more than a slight twinge of fear, penetrated the heavy silence. "H-hey, it's me, Joseph." The man called warily. "I'm-I'm human now. You don't need to-" The man paused. "I'm human. I swear to god I am."

Slowly, Keiichi removed himself from Kathy's person, creeping over to where the gun had fallen and grabbing it before the woman thought to snag it first. Unloading it, the man moved for the grenades at a faster pace, grabbing the torn box and dragging it out of the woman's reach.

Kathy didn't move.

Footsteps crunched on what Keiichi realized was ice, drawing close before ultimately stopping. His own cautions getting the better of him, Keiichi pressed himself close against the counter, hesitantly rising and peeking over the surface. Joseph, human once more, froze in his spot, one leg raised in step and his right arm clutched closely to his chest. The fingers were a pale blue, and shards of ice were lodged into the right sleeve of his jacket like cruel, clear spearheads.

For a long while the duo stared at each other, each eyeing the other in a fashion reminiscent of a pair of dogs waiting to be attacked. Joseph's eyes darted towards the counter. _Kathy?_ He mouthed, and Keiichi grimaced, sliding back down the counter and disappearing from sight.

The woman in question had pushed herself off the ground and against the counter, clutching her head, her fingers buried in her hair. "Kathy?" Keiichi asked softly, watching as the woman's body tensed at her name. Hesitantly, he reached out, lightly touching her shoulder only to have it immediately swatted away. "Go away." The merchant muttered. Her voice was trembling.

The counter groaned lightly, and Keiichi looked up, finding Joseph's concerned face staring down at them both despite the injury Kathy had inflicted on his arm. "Kat, listen I-"

"Not a god damned word out of you, Joseph." Kathy cut him off. The woman raised her head, glaring up at the man with baleful eyes. "How dare you. How _dare_ you! You-you gave up a piece of yourself for that-that _thing_!" She snarled. "After everything that's been done to us, after everything that you've _seen_ -" The woman bit her lip, and Keiichi became all too aware of the tears that streaked her face. "You turned yourself into one of those monsters, Joseph. You went out like Roland did and got yourself infected, and now you need to eat other _people_ to survive!"

Joseph grimaced. "Roland infected himself for the sake of the Lokapala. For the sake of _humanity_ , Kathy. He saw something none of us did when those Embryon guys appeared. He saw _hope_."

"He's damned himself to his own personal hell-"

"For our sakes!" Joseph roared. "He turned into a monster so that we wouldn't have to, to go out under that fucking black sun and fight off everything else that wants to make a meal out of you, me, Johnny, and everyone else here!"

"And what happens when _he's_ the one trying to eat us for lunch?" Kathy demanded. "Well Joseph? What happens when you come barging in here ravenous because you can't control that monster that's in you? What happens when you try to kill Johnny, or me, or Keiichi?"

Joseph's face screwed up tightly. "I-" The man paused and grit his teeth, clutching his arm as he sucked in a deep breath. "I'll-"

"It won't come to that."

The two in-laws paused in their verbal dispute, turning to regard Keiichi with a pair of matching expressions that claimed they'd forgotten his presence. Keiichi flinched at the sudden attention, but held his ground. "It won't come to that." He repeated. "I-I'm sure of it." The mechanic swallowed, willing his voice to be stronger as Kathy's expression darkened. "Roland…if he really did become a-a Tuner for the sake of everyone here, then he's probably already got a plan in case something goes wrong…He seems like the type who'd rather die than endanger the lives of those around him."

"He's a drunk, Keiichi." Kathy retorted. "He's-after Greg died, that man all but abandoned us. He stopped leading us and did nothing but waste the days away on whiskey."

"That's not the Roland I met, though." Keiichi replied softly. "He-he messed me up pretty bad when he interrogated me, Kathy. And I saw that monster you're afraid he might become. But he stopped. One of his friends stopped him before he went too far…like he was expecting it to happen. He's trying to find a way around it, just in case he _can't_ control it." The man turned his gaze to Joseph. "And there's nothing that says you can't control it, either."

Joseph nodded in agreement. "I took on this power…this curse, so that I can further help the Lokapala-the Embryon, in any way I can." He explained. "Kathy, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but you need to understand. This is for everyone. If my strength can help save even one person…if I can take down a single Karma soldier with Pyro Jack's flames before that man can change and devour my companions, then it'll be worth it."

"And what happens when the thing gets too powerful?" Kathy asked quietly. "What happens when you _need_ to feed and there are no other demons- _soldiers_ around for you to prey on?"

The man smiled. It seemed more mournful than anything else. "Well…that's what my comrades are for then, right?"

The words were despairing, even to Keiichi's ears, and the man felt a lump well up in his chest. "It doesn't have to be that way." He said. "You shouldn't have to-"

"Enough."

That single word silenced Keiichi before he could argue further. "I've heard enough. From both of you." Slowly, Kathy picked herself up off the ground, her eyes glaring a hole into the floor. "Get out." The woman walked past Keiichi, heading to the staircase that led to the second floor."

Neither men moved. "Kat-"

The woman froze. "Didn't you hear me?" Kathy demanded, keeping her back to the duo. "I said get out. Get the fuck out of here! My store isn't open to suicidal cannibals or the idiots who defend them. Now get out before I force you out!"

Without another word the woman stomped up the stairs, the rage emanating from her person strong enough to cause more dry wall to dust down from the ceiling. Somewhere a door slammed shut, followed by the shatter of glass.

One of the ceiling lights fell to ground, and Keiichi jumped. Beside him Joseph released a deep sigh before turning and heading towards the shop's exit. Uncertain of what else to do, Keiichi trailed after him.

"Looks like I fucked up, didn't I?"

And while Keiichi could have thought of many things to say to Joseph to reassure him, the man found himself settling for silence instead.

"I'll talk to Johnny about Kathy when he gets back. Warn him. He'll be able to calm her down, I'm sure."

Keiichi sent the man a sideways glance. "Why would you need to warn him?"

Joseph's smile was crooked and tinged with regret. "We're twins, Keiichi. It's almost a universal law that what one twin does, the other is sure to imitate." He shook his head in disdain. "…I wasn't the only one who decided to become a Tuner."

The mechanic stared at the man in surprise, and then slowly nodded. "I see."

"Do me a favor. Don't tell Kathy none a' this shit, you hear me?"

"I-I hear you."

"And watch her back for us-me and Johnny. We-we won't always be around now that we're Tuners." The man's voice was tight, and Keiichi closed his eyes. In his mind he could hear Dyaus's voice once more, rough and gravely and only barely human.

_These mortals have awakened their own Ultimate Destruction Program, Keiichi Morisato. They have become their own demons, they have become their own monsters, and with it they can do little but fight to survive. Watch them, Consort of the Norns, and show us the strength carried within those who desire life above all else._

" _The world sat on the verge of death. Science, created by men who acted as gods, assumed our image and betrayed its creators' purpose. Mankind signed a contract for great power and wealth…without realizing they had signed their own death warrant. I_ _suppose it couldn't be helped with people wasting their minds on drinking, and worse. But the ones picking up the tab had quite the price to pay. Needless to say, it was a lot more serious than paying off the barkeeper. The blazing black sun…Ruins and wasteland stretching as far as the eye could see…Plants withered from the corrupt data of the sunlight and people turned to stone, trapped forever between life and death. The survivors were forced underground, far away from their old lives. The lucky few chosen by the Karma Society lived in a sanctuary formed of God's wisdom, oblivious to the chaos outside."_

" _Hell…That's what it was – hell."_

_-Fred_

* * *

 

The fist collided painfully with his gut, and it was only the chair he was tied to that prevented him from falling to the ground. Something hard and sharp pierced his flesh, and his eyes bulged as soft flesh was sliced open. Red began to seep into his dirty white shirt, and his body alight with pain, Keiichi struggled to pull in a breath, finding it all the worse as his lungs seemed to catch fire. He tried to scream, yet his vocal cords were already singed to the point of uselessness, and so all that came out was a strangled rasp.

The copper giant, the source of his pain, turned and walked away with a growl. " _Diarama"_ It rumbled, extending the hand that was most human towards Keiichi. The two circular disks that emerged from its knuckles began to spin, and Keiichi grimaced as his vision was filled with a soothing green glow. The pain began to fade instantly, and in its place came a maddening itch. The man ignored it however, all his focus intent on drawing air into his burning lungs. Gasping, he sucked in breath after breath, raising his head just enough to stare at the creature acting as both torturer and medic.

It had to be seven, eight feet tall, dressed in what appeared to be some sort of natural bone armor designed to imitate copper. The flesh that wasn't covered in the odd substance was a ruddy, rusty red, decorated with strange, purple-black diamonds. Towards the hands and feet, the diamonds grew to become the dominant color, the creature resting on toes that looked closer to fingers, a pair of metal discs similar to the one on its left hand imbedded between the thick digits. Its right hand, no, its right _arm,_ consisted of a single, large weapon, looking vaguely like a Tibetan _vajra_ that had melded with the entity's arm. He couldn't tell where the weapon began and the flesh ended on it. And its head…goddesses its head…A single, snarling mouth was its only humanoid feature. The flesh above it immediately dissipated into more of the coppery bone-armor, its head warping into a large, empty pit, as though something had cut a majority of its head off and scooped out what remained. Surrounding it was a copper halo, large and encircling, that was connected by some other means behind the back of its jaw.

It had no eyes-none that Keiichi could see-but he'd quickly learned that it was hardly handicapped, if at all.

"Just answer the questions, kid." Lethargically, Keiichi tilted his head to one side, meeting the concerned gaze of the vaguely Arab man at his side. "Who are you working for? Cuvier? One of the Karma Society's generals? Who put you up to this?"

His energy already sapped from the multiple heals the monstrosity had forced on him-goddesses, how many times had they been running in circles? Three? Four times?-Keiichi could only manage a weak grunt.

The man, Adil, frowned and looked towards the behemoth, his brow creased with worried lines. "Roland, we need to take a break. If we keep this up much longer we're going to put this guy in a coma."

_Roland?_ Keiichi's tired mind wondered. _Ah, that's right, Roland._ The monster before him was Roland's Avatar, the monster the Atma virus had infected him with. The man had changed after forcibly dragging Keiichi back to his…headquarters, that's right, Keiichi was in Roland's headquarters, and had begun interrogating him.

_"Not until we know his motives."_ Roland's voice was rough and scratching, vaguely reminding Keiichi of a lion's roar. _"I'm not putting any more people in danger."_

"Yeah?" Adil snapped. "And what happens if we find out this guy is innocent? Roland, you've pushed this man to the borders of death _five times_ already! _Five fucking times!_ He's human, like us-" the man caught himself, "-like _me_ , Roland. He isn't a Tuner like that Cielo kid or-or you!"

Roland paused at the man's words, turning to face the human. _"What are you trying to say, Adil?"_

The man grimaced. "I'm saying you need to stop this," he said quietly, "before you turn into something you hate. Because right now, from my perspective, you ain't no better than one of Karma's soldiers."

Roland froze. Then, very slowly, walked towards Adil. For a second Keiichi's tired mind thought he saw the same, red veins that had preceded Roland's transformation appear once more on the creature, yet when he blinked no such veins could be seen. Instead the air seemed to shimmer around the monstrosity's form, and then Roland was Roland once more.

The man approached Keiichi, and the bound prisoner could do nothing as the silver-haired Tuner lifted his chin. Lackluster brown met heated gray, and then Roland released him, allowing his chin to drop once more with a grunt. The Lokapala leader sighed. "Let's…let's get him cleaned up." He finally said, and Keiichi looked up at him tiredly as Adil fiddled with his binds. "Kathy can take care of you, since she found you. At least until we can figure out what else to do with you."

Keiichi's head bobbed, eyelids growing heavy with exhaustion. He barely noticed the rope that tied him to the chair going slack. With sleep on the border of his consciousness, the man closed his eyes.

"You were never this violent before, Roland. What the hell got into you?"

The last thing he heard was Roland's fading voice. "It's the virus, Adil. It…changes people…not for the better. I…promise. Kill me…turn…them…"

And then came peaceful oblivion.

* * *

There was someone near his side. Someone huge. Paralyzed, he laid where he was, unable to move as the creature slowly walked around him. Something cold and sharp pressed into his skin-just enough to threaten, not enough to break, and slowly began scraping down across his bare flesh. It trailed from his throat down to his chest, tracing delicate, dangerous circles that made him shudder. Down his chest and to his stomach and across his abdomen. _I'll skin you alive._ It hissed. _I'll spill your innards and feast on your intestines…_

Keiichi awoke with a start, finding himself lying on a hard cot. Breathing harshly, the man checked himself over, finding his shirt red and torn yet the flesh beneath whole and healthy. The mechanic stared at the holes in the cloth, large and ragged, the edges stiff with dried blood.

"There's some fresh clothes on the table next to you if you want to change."

Keiichi jumped, almost falling out of the cot as he struggled to find the source of the voice. "Who's there?"

From the corner of the room, a small light glowed in the darkness. It swayed back and forth randomly, and it took Keiichi a moment to recognize it as a cigarette head. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy." The light rose, moving from the corner and along the wall before pausing. "I'm not going to hurt you Bud." The lights flickered on, and Keiichi winced.

Blinking spots from his eyes, Keiichi looked towards the owner of the cigarette. A man stood leaning against the wall, standing next to a box Keiichi assumed was a light switch. He was pressing the lighted end against the wall, effectively putting it out while he observed him with thoughtful bright, blue eyes. "How you holding up?" The man wore a black bandanna over the lower half of his face, effectively hiding everything from the nose down. He wore a muddy yellow tactical vest rested atop a black jacket, cargo pants close to bursting with materials.

Keiichi sucked in a deep, calming breath. "Who are you?" He asked, carefully readjusting himself on the cot and pressing his back against the wall. The event left him breathless, and for a moment Keiichi stared at his hands, wondering why they were trembling.

"Johnny." The man responded, and Keiichi looked up, just in time to see the masked 'bandito' flick his cigarette off to one side and move towards the cot. "I'm Kathy's husband. Adil brought you here after Roland ripped you a new one." The man paused, looking Keiichi over for a moment. "Or three or four, give or take."

"I wasn't trying anything with you wife." Keiichi muttered. "Just…in case you were wondering." It had been one of the first things Roland had tried to get him to confess. A 'warm-up'. And then the punches had started…Keiichi grimaced, burying his face in one hand. "I've already got someone back home. And I'm not looking for someone else."

"I know." Keiichi blinked and looked up, jumping when a ration packet sailed towards him. The mechanic didn't have time to react, and the package lightly hit his shoulder before falling into his lap. The man looked up at Johnny. "Kathy told me what happened. My woman's a greedy, stubborn old hag when she wants to be, but she ain't a cheater." The corner of Johnny's eyes crinkled up in a smile. "Plus she's a shitty liar."

"Oh." Keiichi stared at the man for a long moment before dropping his gaze back to the packet in his lap. "Thanks." Weakly he tore it open and dug into the doughy cracker, savoring it as though it had been formed by Belldandy's own hands.

"Thanks for watching out for my wife." Johnny replied. "Most of the people here in the Lokapala are just normal folks trying to get by. Most of them are too afraid to go outside gathering resources, and my own job means I can't always be there to watch Kat's back. If you hadn't been there, chances are she'd have been killed by that Andres last night."

Keiichi swallowed the thick goop in his mouth, feeling vaguely like he was swallowing undercooked _mochi_. "Didn't do anything." He grumbled. "She still got hurt because of me."

Johnny shrugged. "She's still alive." He said. "She's up and walking, still has all her limbs attached…just cranky as all fuck because of Roland and the Embryon and eating her own merchandise. I can't complain. Neither can you. Hurt is better than dead out here."

Keiichi nodded dubiously, taking another bite of his ration. For a long while he chewed in silence, Johnny seemingly content to pull up a chair and watch him eat. "How is she?" He asked after finishing the last of the ration off.

Johnny tossed him another one, and Keiichi found his stomach protesting too much to refuse the gift. He caught it and tore it open.

"She's fine. Got her to finally wash the blood off her face when I got back. Damn near had to shove a Soma Drop down her throat to get her to eat. Didn't help her mood much." The man leaned back in his chair, scratching beneath his bandana. "She's watching the storefront right now. Told her we'd lose too much money if we closed shop this morning after everything that happened last night." The man sighed. "Course with her current attitude, it don't matter much. She's been scaring away any customers who so much as glance inside."

Keiichi cracked a smile before biting into the second ration.

"So now that you're here, what do you plan to do?"

The mechanic swallowed, a soft frown forming on his face. "I…I don't know." He confessed. "I don't know anything about this place other than what I've seen and been through since…last night." Roland's demonic, snarling avatar flashed across his vision, and Keiichi closed his eyes, frown deepening. "That Roland guy doesn't seem to want me around, so I know I'll be staying out of his way."

Johnny snorted. "Don't worry about Roland. The man's got other things to worry about than some lost kid like you. Especially now that that Serph guy is stepping up." The man laughed. "If Roland isn't careful, he's gonna find those Embryon guys running this place before Adil can even say 'demon'."

Keiichi smiled weakly. "Are there other places like this?"

"Refugee camps?" Johnny asked, and Keiichi nodded. "There are, but none of them are as fortified as the Lokapala's. Most of 'em live a sort of subterranean nomadic lifestyle, moving from one place to another to avoid demons. Those that are more stationary don't last long. When the demons hit 'em, they hit hard."

"So you're saying this is the safest place around?"

Johnny shook his head. "Safest place around is the Karma Society, if you're lucky enough to become a civilian." He said. "Become a resident there and you're safe from demon consumption." The man's eyes narrowed. "Course, that safety is sacrificed if you're a soldier or a scientist. Soldiers get infected with the Atma virus and the scientists are usually the first source of food for those who give in fully to their demon forms. When the soldiers go mad, they lose the right to live and become food for their brothers in arms, too." The man shook his head. "Nasty way to go. Demons are ruthless when they're hungry."

Keiichi thought of the scorpion man and the owl-beast, of Roland and his rage, and nodded in agreement. "Guess I'm staying here then."

Johnny nodded. "Wasn't planning on having you go anywhere anyways." He said, and Keiichi blinked.

"Wait, what?"

"Kathy says you owe us a pretty penny after all that's been done." Johnny sent him a sideways look, and Keiichi's jaw fell open. "She told me you ruined our flower beds. That true?"

"I-what?" Keiichi sputtered. "You mean-you mean the flower I stepped on?"

Johnny's brows raised high enough to disappear beneath his dark bangs. "You stepped on one of our flowers?" He demanded. "Which one?"

"A white one?"

"A Jasmine?"

Keiichi shrugged helplessly. He knew machines, not flowers. "Maybe?"

"Son of a fucking bitch." The man covered his face with one hand, glaring at him with a frosty blue eye. "You know how much that cost us?"

Keiichi felt a lump of dread settle uncomfortably in his stomach. Slowly, he shook his head.

"Forty thousand dollars."

"F-forty-dollars." What was left of his ration fell from Keiichi's hand. "You mean like American dollars?"

"No I mean like Dogecoins." Johnny snapped, and Keiichi winced. "On top of that, you lost Kathy's knife-that was an anniversary gift by the way-and you've been supplied with free rations _from our stock_ since Roland dropped you off with us. The clothes are from our supply room, too."

"But I don't have that kind of money on me!" Keiichi protested. "Most I have is whatever's in my wallet, and that might be a couple hundred yen bills, if even that! I can't pay off what you're asking."

"We know. We checked your wallet while you were still out cold." The man dug into his pocket and tossed the aforementioned item to Keiichi. "Yen won't buy shit since the economy went under. Nothing to exchange it for out here. So Kathy and I decided you'd work for us until your debt was paid off."

Keiichi stared at the man incredulously, mouth opening and closing like beached fish. Finally the man swallowed. "What am I supposed to do for you guys?"

"Kathy can't keep going out solo on our raids." Johnny said. "With Roland finally sobering up and these Embryon making changes for the better, I'm going to be out in the field more and more often. I need someone who can look out for her when I can't- she won't always be as lucky as she was last night."

The mechanic eyed the merchant warily. "You want me to be a bodyguard?"

The man shrugged. "Bodyguard, pack mule, clerk, inventory, storage…" He checked off his fingers. "Am I forgetting anything?"

"But I'm not-I don't know how to fight." Keiichi protested, staring at the man with anxious brown eyes. "I mean, not against, well, demons or anything. Sure, maybe I can take out someone pointing a gun at me when he's right next to me, but I-I've never _killed_ anyone before!"

"Well, there's a time and place for everyone." Johnny rose to his feet, walking over and patting Keiichi on his shoulder. "You'll learn." He said, the humor that had been present in his voice throughout their conversation gone. In its place was a cold, hard seriousness. "Like it or not, you'll learn."

* * *

The next few days passed by faster than they had a right to.

Keiichi, in debt to the owners of the _MAD MART_ , found his debt rising as Johnny provided him with room and board in the shop that was equally a home to the owners. Apparently, Keiichi had arrived a day too late, in the man's words; the Lokapala had recently released a great many refugees from the mysterious Internment Facility, and with nowhere to go the many people had taken residence in the Underground City. Any areas that had once been vacant were now filled with occupants.

Kathy had further warned him away from them. She'd explained the Internment Facility to him. How those who were taken there were held prisoner by a Tuner known only as 'The Jailer'. How easily the creature could capture those who tried to escape. The uselessness, the hopelessness, the despair that had run rampant within those cells…

How those imprisoned might occasionally bear witness to a demon being imprisoned next to them, mad and raving and ravenous. And how any day could be their last, as one by one prisoners were taken further down into the facility, where the sound of blades and whirr of machines was a steady and constant hum, and how those who went down there never came up again.

The woman spoke of the place with such an intimacy Keiichi suspected she'd gone through the hellish prison herself. Yet when he'd finally gathered his courage to ask her, Kathy did nothing but shake her head and smile solemnly, speaking of a devil's luck and an angel's blessing.

It had been Johnny, he later learned, who'd gone through the nightmare.

"People who go through that kind of experience change." Kathy had explained. "It's hard to trust anything when you spend so much time in that sort of environment. The only ones you feel you can really trust are those who went through it with you." She'd gestured to a small group of shell-shocked looking individuals who eyed her warily. "Outsiders are considered hostile. And people like that…who think everyone around them is a possible predator…well, just put yourself in their shoes and you'll understand."

He'd decided to take the store manager's word for it after that.

Neither Johnny nor Kathy taught him how to shoot, ironically.

That detail was left to a man named Joseph, an easygoing man who was quick to smile with a black crew cut and a stubbly beard. Johnny's twin brother, the man lived with the other guerrilla forces among the Lokapala. Keiichi had been introduced to him during his first 'dinner' in the Underground City. He and Johnny had lined up with others in a large cafeteria line, being served portions greasy meat and hard bread passed out by other denizens. The man had taken a seat across from him with Kathy at his side, sounding so much like the more familiar Johnny that for a moment Keiichi mistook the man for his twin.

They'd had a full on conversation for ten minutes before Kathy eventually stepped up and ended Joseph's joke, revealing the man as a familiar stranger before properly introducing the two of them.

Johnny it seemed preferred to eat his meals in private.

The feel of a handgun in his grip had felt awkward at first, dismantling and cleaning foreign and clumsy to hands more familiar with wrenches and motors. He flinched with every pull of the trigger, with every echo of the gun going off, yet Joseph had proven to be both a patient and tolerant individual. "When a demon gets up close and personal, aim doesn't matter anymore." He'd instructed. "At that point, just fire in the general direction of the monster. Bullets won't do much against 'em unless they're either human or the bullets have elemental properties anyways, but a big enough spray will at least keep them back for a while. Hopefully long enough for you to run."

Sleep on those nights came with the smell of gunpowder and ringing ears as he fell into a restless slumber.

Eventually it all became so commonplace he no longer recognized it anymore.

His progress was slow, yet with Joseph's coaching Keiichi's aim slowly got better, his hesitation not quite as frequent as it once was. Occasionally one of the Embryon, those few dressed in uniform gray, would watch from afar as he practiced in the makeshift shooting range that had been set up in one of the less habitable than the rest. Even rarer, when it seemed as though the Tuners had some time to kill one or two would approach him, giving Keiichi further advice and, scarily enough, offering themselves as targets.

He denied their offers every time.

Until the day Joseph took the most persistent of the bunch, Cielo, up on his offer.

"You're serious?!" Keiichi almost screamed, brown eyes bulging in his skull as he stared at the older man.

Across from him, Joseph grinned, wrapping a friendly arm around the braided Cielo's shoulders. "Why not? You need to learn how to shoot at live targets sooner or later. This'll be perfect for you!"

Cielo mimicked the guerrilla soldier's action, smiling largely at Keiichi. "Dyaus can take a couple rounds easy." He said. "He's beddah wit' bullets dan I am."

Dyaus. Keiichi was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the Tuners had names for their demon forms. Dyaus, the female Prithivi, Gale's Vayu, Serph's icy Varuna, and Roland's Indra. They spoke of the beastly forms as though they were separate entities from their human selves. It was puzzling, and only further fueled his caution around the infected individuals.

Because of the many questions that came to mind, many of them were of his own morality in shooting other Tuners.

Cielo moved down the field, stopping near the bullseye Joseph had initially set up for Keiichi. The paper was littered with bullet holes on the outer rings, with one or two lucky shots having made it closer to the center. The lilac-haired man waved to Keiichi from the other end of the field. After a moment, Keiichi hesitantly looked at the Tuner through the scope that had been attached to the rifle, watching quietly as the air seemed to swirl around the uniformed man. Light began to emanate from his body, and in a sudden flash of light the demon that was Dyaus replaced the Embryon once known as Cielo.

The creature grinned at him from within its bony, white skull, hovering lightly in front of the target. The demon cocked its head to one side, and Keiichi jumped when it released a roar that echoed against the surrounding walls.

Keiichi raised his head from the scope, his face pale. "I don't want to do this, Joseph."

The older man stared at him from where he'd been leaning against a pile of debris. "You'll have to do it sooner or later." He replied. "Better now than when your life is on the line."

Yet Keiichi shook his head, lowering the rifle "I-no. No. I can't simply shoot at another person like this."

Joseph sighed and straightened, walking over of Keiichi. "Give me your rifle then."

The mechanic looked over at the soldier with startled eyes. "Ah, o-okay." He said, fumbling with the safety switch before handing the weapon over. The man took it without comment, yet rather than remove the bullet Joseph instead raised the rifle, toggled the safety switch, took aim, and fired.

The weapon's discharge echoed even more loudly than Dyaus's roar.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Keiichi cried, brown eyes wide with shock and horror. "Are you trying to kill him or something? What happens if you hit Cielo?"

Yet his words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Joseph reached into a cargo pocket, withdrawing a pair of small binoculars and passing them to Keiichi. "Shut up, you're distracting me."

Keiichi stared at the binoculars, than looked down the field towards Cielo-Dyaus. A confident scream arose once more from the beast, and after a moment's hesitation Keiichi raised the binoculars to his eyes. Another shot went off in his ears, causing the man to flinch. But not before seeing the demon's immediate reaction following the shot.

One of Dyaus's stiff arms, plated with an armor-like material that prevented the limbs from bending at any known elbows, angled to one side. Something sparked off the hard blue surface, causing the creature to momentarily twitch, but otherwise showed know visible damage. It straightened, once again tilting its head at an angle in curiosity.

Once more Dyaus screamed.

"Get it now?" Keiichi looked up, finding Joseph staring smugly at him. "Got nothing but normal bullets here. No elemental properties to 'em or anything special like that. Not even tracer rounds. Just the standard metal and gunpowder humans have used for decades on each other." The man offered him the rifle once more. "Your turn."

Keiichi swallowed nervously, taking the rifle and staring at it as though he was handling an angry serpent. He looked warily at his instructor, a frown on his face. "You're sure I won't hurt him?"

The man shrugged. "Worse that'd happen would be that he changed back on the trigger squeeze." He said. "But then, one less Tuner in the world's a bit of an improvement, wouldn't you say?"

Keiichi chose not to comment.

Instead the man grabbed the weapon, checking the chamber before reloading the rifle as had been drilled into him every day since Joseph began instructing him. Falling into a crouch, Keiichi braced the butt end of the rifle against his shoulder, wrapping the leather sling equipped to the ringlets around his arm for additional support. Resting his lead hand on one knee, the man looked through the scope towards his target, finding Dyaus oddly still from where it observed him across the field.

Nervously readjusting the grip on the rifle, Keiichi swallowed, taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly. His finger moved to rest on the trigger, and once more the mechanic took a deep breath, trying to ease his frantic heart. _Pull on the exhale._

Keiichi slowly exhaled, centering the crosshairs of the scope on Dyaus's chest. He slowly began to apply pressure on the trigger…

And stopped.

The man raised the weapon, flipping on the safety once more with a shake of his head. "I can't do it." He said. "Joseph, I'm sorry. Even with everything-"

"Forget it." Joseph cut him off, irritation evident in his voice. "We'll stop for today. I'll go with Kathy topside tonight." The man rubbed his face with one hand, breathing a deep sigh. "Just….Go get Cielo. Let him know we're done."

Keiichi nodded, feeling a lump of guilt rise in his throat. Shouldering his weapon, the man waved towards the demon, gesturing him towards the two humans. Dyaus did nothing however, merely hovering in his same spot, occasionally tilting his head to one side in a mannerism that reminded Keiichi a bit too much like a dog. "Well, I know he doesn't have any eyes…I know he can see me though…" The man mumbled to himself, hesitantly stepping out into the firing range and moving towards the blue monstrosity. "I wonder how he sees if he doesn't have any eyes. Heat vision? Echolocation?" There was no way to tell without directly asking the Tuner himself.

"Cielo," was he supposed to call him Dyaus in this form? "we're done for the day." He called out. "You can go ahead and change back. I…needed a break from training."

The creature tilted its head to one side in curiosity, whatever means it used to hover coming to a stop as its feet touched the ground. Dyaus stared at him and…chirped, before cocking his head to the other side.

Keiichi stopped a short distance before the man-turned-demon, staying well out of range of its long arms. "Cielo?"

A blade popped out of the strange horn that rested atop Dyaus's head.

Keiichi started. "Cielo, what are you doing?" He asked in alarm.

The creature screamed at him.

And before Keiichi even realized what he was doing, the man found himself running, Dyaus hot on his tail.

The world seemed to narrow, his gaze centering on Joseph, who was waving and shouting something at him. A shriek arose behind him, and two somethings collided with his back, knocking Keiichi to the ground. The man released a shout as the ground came rushing to meet him. He caught himself and rolled, watching as something large and ominous flew above his head with enough force to create its own wind.

Dyaus soared past him before rising, and panting Keiichi stumbled to his feet, readying to make another run for it only for the ground in front of him to erupt with lightning. With a shout the mechanic stumbled backwards, shielding his face as the hair on his arms stood erect from static. The man looked up, finding Dyaus dropping into a dive towards him and cursed. "Cielo, what are you doing?!" He cried.

If the Tuner heard him, if the demon _understood_ him, he gave no sign, instead shrieking as feet that all too easily resembled a raptor's talons spread apart.

Joseph was shouting something at him. _"Shoot him, Keiichi! Shoot him before he kills you!"_ And gasping, his heart thudding in his ears, the man grabbed the strap his gun hung by, sliding it from his back and taking aim at the beast.

The man pulled back on the trigger, only to find it stop half-way. "Shit!" Keiichi swore, and as Dyaus swooped down on him the man dodged to the side, talons that could easily pierce his flesh finding purchase in earth and debris. The demon came close enough that Keiichi could have touched it if he'd wanted to, yet as it was the man was too focused on putting distance between the two of them before Dyaus thought to tear into him with the blade on its head.

Once more Dyaus launched itself into the air, this time launching a bolt of electricity from its maw as well. It was pure luck on Keiichi's part that the bolt didn't touch him, and fumbling with the safety the man once more aimed the weapon at the beast. This time, a spray of bullets launched themselves at the demon when the mechanic pulled the trigger, causing the beast to flinch in the air.

It did little to stop the demon, however, and once more Keiichi struggled to his feet, stumbling into a run in the hopes of outpacing the creature. A sound reminiscent of a jet engine arose behind him, and too frightened to look back Keiichi ran harder. The noise grew louder, and the mechanic felt something wrap around his upper arms. A brief glance revealed blue, almost hand-like talons, and Keiichi screamed as there was a sudden tug upwards.

And then his feet were no longer touching the ground.

Looking down, Keiichi watched with wild, terrified eyes as the debris of the Underground city began to grow distant, leaving the man at the mercy of Dyaus's grip. He could see Joseph beneath him, a grimace on the man's face as he lowered the rifle from where he'd been aiming at the demon. " _Heat a' battle's a lot different from a practice range, isn't it?_ " A voice, rough and grating, somehow made its way to Keiichi's ears through the noise that surrounded him.

"C-cielo?" Keiichi gasped, his limbs flailing about wildly in the absence of the ground. "Was-was this all a joke?!" He cried, trying to wrap his hands around Dyaus's legs and finding the action painful; the demon's grip tight and unyielding to his own flesh and muscles.

" _Stop struggling. You'll only hurt yourself."_ Dyaus advised. " _I'm not going to kill you. Or even hurt you, for that matter."_

"What, so that electricity was a joke back there?" Keiichi demanded, gingerly submitting to the fact that there was little he could do in his current situation and trying hard to ease the tension in his body. "Fuck man, don't tell me this was some sort of trick on your end." The man couldn't help but think back to the shrine and the numerous times he'd fallen victim to a stray 'Urd Bolt' during a sibling dispute. "Last thing I need is to find someone who can go toe to toe with Urd's magic." He grumbled.

A bellow that reminded Keiichi of an angry bull emerged above his head. It took him a minute to realize the demon was laughing. " _Ah, so you are the consort of the middle Norn. Now I see. You are a long way from home, Mortal."_

Brown eyes widened in surprise. "Norn…you're a god?!" Keiichi cried, once more greeted with the bull-laugh. "But-Cielo, what about-"

" _This is not Cielo speaking, Keiichi."_ The demon roared, the beast's wings tilting at an angle that sent the duo spiraling upwards nauseatingly. _"Cielo sleeps right now, when the solar noise is at its strongest. This is Dyaus, Father Sky himself."_ An odd chirp echoed hollowly in the creature's throat. _"Urd and I practiced magic together many a time as children. It is good that she was so careful with her magic then. Though it may not show, Urd is a very disciplined goddess. If you were indeed accidentally struck by her bolts, then it was only through her own mastery of magic that she did not kill you."_

Keiichi gaped at the demon, staring up at the creature in shock. "But you-Cielo is…what's going on?"

The demon snorted. " _We are fortunate to be so far underground. The Sun's rays are blocked down here, and when its light grows strongest I was able to temporarily take over rather than the partial, more maddening transformation that undertakes my Avatar when the Noise grows too great."_ The demon explained.

Keiichi understood about one in five words in all the demon said.

" _You smelled different to us upon our first meeting, Keiichi."_ Dyaus continued to explain. _You made Varuna curious, my son Indra, suspicious. You smell too much of gods and demons for us to simply dismiss."_ The demon paused there before continuing after a moment. " _I apologize for Indra's behavior. He is a wild god that does not always know how to control his temper. It is bad to see that he has chosen a faithless drunkard like Roland as his Avatar."_

Keiichi could think of no response for the strange apology. "I don't know how I got here." He explained. "From what I remember I was back home in Nekomi, making some modifications on my bike when I came to here."

" _You are in an alternate Earth."_ Dyaus explained, swopping into a steep dive that left Keiichi's stomach doing flip flops. _"One with an Ultimate Destruction program that has been initiated. The humans here have taken to calling it 'God', despite the fact that those very creatures, and their demonic counterparts, are what have come to possess their comrades."_

"A what?" Keiichi asked, his heart leaping into his throat at the mention of an ultimate destruction program. "You mean like the Lord of Terror? But we defeated that thing! We got it on to a floppy disk and Skuld wiped it clean!"

" _That is in your world, not in this one. There is more than one Ultimate Destruction Program. The humans of this world have evolved to the point where a test is needed to ensure they are fit to continue to call this planet home. They have destroyed their ecosystem to the point of almost unrepairable, and because of that they have awakened their own Ultimate Destruction Program. We have come, gods and demons alike, to test the will of those strong enough to house our spirits."_

"I-I don't understand." Keiichi stammered, "Are you telling me that everyone here is supposed to die? Why would you…why aren't you stopping it!?"

" _It is not my place to stop it, nor is it yours. I have lent my power to one who bears the strength to change that path, however it is up to Cielo and the rest of his tribe to decide how that path must be changed. You come from outside this domain, and thus you can do little but bear witness to the end, should it come. I have only the strength given to my Avatar. I cannot send you back to your home dimension."_

"Then what will happen to me, to _everyone_ , if Cielo and the others fail?"

_Then like the rest of humanity, you too shall die. This world shall undergo Conception once more, and a new race shall try to succeed where Humanity has failed."_ The demon's descent slowed, gliding to the ground with ease. " _My time is almost up. Cielo shall return once more. Do not speak of our conversation, Mortal."_

Keiichi's feet touched the ground, and Dyaus released him. _"Varuna believes you are here for a reason, though it is too early to tell what that may be at this point. Be on guard, Consort of Norns, and do not try to seek out that which is familiar to you. This a land built on the need of survival. Survive, Keiichi Morisato, and show us the strength that lies within one loved by many goddesses."_

Keiichi stumbled to a stop as Dyaus glided over his head, body moving low to the ground before immediately slowing, landing gracefully farther off. The demon's body glowed once more, and then Dyaus was gone, replaced with the human Cielo once more. The lilac-haired man turned to look at Keiichi, and for a brief moment the mechanic saw the demon, the god, that inhabited the Tuner's body. The youth stared at Keiichi with unnaturally intense golden eyes, his features shadowed by an unknown light source.

Then the man blinked. The light vanished, and eyes that matched the color of Cielo's braids smiled at Keiichi. "You good, Mon?" He asked. "I dinnah mean to go so wild wit' ya." The man walked over and clapped a hand on Keiichi's shoulder good-naturedly. "You tink you can go out and watch out for Katy' an' de oters now?"

Farther down the field Joseph was running towards them, sprouting curses and concerns over the two individuals.

Keiichi looked down at his rifle, rubbing the cold metal with a thumb. The demons were humans. The demons were gods. The man took a deep breath. _Survive._ Dyaus's words echoed in his mind.

"I don't know." He admitted.

* * *

That night Joseph took Kathy out to scavenge, leaving Keiichi behind to mind the store.

He did his best to ignore the disappointment on both their faces, and tried even harder to ignore the lump of guilt that settled in his chest when they left.

Johnny left that night as well, departing for places unknown in support of an upcoming combined attack by the Lokapala and the Embryon.

Which meant the Embryon were gone as well. Keiichi wasn't sure if he was grateful or not for Cielo's departure.

And so it continued for the rest of the week. Night would fall, Kathy would leave with Joseph as her backup, and Keiichi was left behind to brood in their wake. Sometimes they would return with multiple rations and other supplies in their possessions, quietly bickering to each other as Kathy unloaded the items for Keiichi to organize. Other times they were not so fortunate, returning with obvious injuries that spoke of one too many close calls, Kathy pale and shaking with an injured Joseph not far behind her.

There was little talk during those times. Little time _to_ talk with the need to care for injuries ranging from light bites to rotting tissue, mild burns to horrific frostbite. Oftentimes a chunk of the supplies gathered were in turn used on the obtainers, healing wounds and curing poisons before they became life-threatening.

Each time they returned, the guilt in Keiichi's chest swelled a bit more.

It wasn't until the following Monday of a bad raid that things took an unexpected turn for the worse.

Saturday night's raid had been bad, and with Johnny's temporary return from the latest raid, Keiichi had been allowed to sleep in that day. And so it was unfortunate that the morning was hailed with a shriek from the storefront.

The scream startled the man badly enough that he fell from the bed Johnny had set up from, him, only to quickly stumble to his feet as the sounds of shouts and crashes followed the initial scream. His heart in his throat, Keiichi quickly raced down the stairs that led to the storefront, only to freeze in the stairway's threshold at the sight that greeted him.

It was a demon.

A type he'd yet to encounter, the creature consisted of a leering jack-o-lantern's head with a green wizard's hat and a blue cloak, floating in the far corner of the room next to the store's entrance. The man could see nothing beyond the cloak other than a white glove, which held a small lantern whose flame burned with an internal light. It glared with baleful, glowing red eyes. " _I told you, ho!"_ It shrieked, its voice high and strangled at a pitch no human could ever achieve. _"It's Me-heee!"_

From behind the counter, a wild-eyed Kathy tossed what looked like a grenade at the creature. Keiichi dove for cover, and the grenade exploded upon impact, coating the creature and the corner it was trapped in with ice. "I don't care what you say!" Kathy shrieked, grabbing another grenade from a box that had been torn open and hoisting it above her head threateningly. "First you come in here claiming to be my brother-in-law, and now you're calling me a _whore_!" The woman raged, frantic and trembling as she pointed to the monster. "I'll fucking kill you for even stepping foot in here!"

The woman's arm went back to throw the second grenade, and warily peeking over the _Mad Mart_ counter Keiichi found his eyes meeting the demon's . " _Morisat-ho!"_ It screamed. " _You gotta stop her! It's me-hee, Joseph!"_ It wailed.

"You're kidding me…" Keiichi muttered, staring at the pumpkin demon with wide eyes. "Joseph, what the hell did you do to yourself?"

The creature formally known as Joseph didn't respond, instead screeching _hee-ho_ before thrusting his lantern into the air. A strange, blue aura engulfed the creature, and then Keiichi found himself dragged to the ground as a secondary grenade collided with the blue energy.

The explosion was strong enough to make the building's foundation shake, loose tile from the ceiling raining down on the duo's heads. Kathy pushed herself off Keiichi, a snarl on her face as she snagged another grenade. Keiichi grabbed her. "Stop." He hissed. "You're going to bring the roof down on us! Didn't you hear what that thing said? It's Joseph!"

The woman tore her hand out of his grip. "It's a demon." She told him flatly. "It needs to die."

"Need's to-" Keiichi stared at the woman in shock. "Did you forget who- _what_ saved our asses when I first met you?" He demanded.

"Did you forget what tried to kill us?" Kathy retorted. The woman lurched towards the shelf beneath the counter, withdrawing a handgun that had escaped Keiichi's notice. "I'm not going to be killed by that thing," she growled, "whatever it was before, it's not human now. And I'm not about to let myself be eaten by a demon."

"He's your brother-in-law!" Keiichi snapped, his conversation with Dyaus returning to him. "Just because his form's changed doesn't mean he's lost his humanity!" The mechanic grabbed the woman, struggling to wrestle the weapon from her grip. From farther in the shop, Keiichi heard a distinct _'hee-ho'_ from Joseph, causing the man to grimace. Fighting to keep the gun's barrel away from his chest, Keiichi shouted, "Joseph, turn back! You need to change back!" Kathy's leg's flailed about, her face a mask of terror as she fought against Keiichi. The man ignored it however, pinning the frightened woman to the ground and directing the gun to the ceiling.

And not a moment too soon, either.

The gun recoiled as Kathy pulled back on the trigger, causing the woman to cry out and for Keiichi to flinch. Drywall and tile rained down upon the duo's head, and for a long moment nothing but silence reigned in the building. Keiichi could hear his heart beating madly in his hears, and beneath that, Kathy was panting heavily. There was a heavy, near-deafening clatter as the handgun slipped from Kathy's fingers and fell to the cold floor, and beneath him the woman whimpered with a start. Keiichi winced.

"K-kathy?" A voice, male, human, and with more than a slight twinge of fear, penetrated the heavy silence. "H-hey, it's me, Joseph." The man called warily. "I'm-I'm human now. You don't need to-" The man paused. "I'm human. I swear to god I am."

Slowly, Keiichi removed himself from Kathy's person, creeping over to where the gun had fallen and grabbing it before the woman thought to snag it first. Unloading it, the man moved for the grenades at a faster pace, grabbing the torn box and dragging it out of the woman's reach.

Kathy didn't move.

Footsteps crunched on what Keiichi realized was ice, drawing close before ultimately stopping. His own cautions getting the better of him, Keiichi pressed himself close against the counter, hesitantly rising and peeking over the surface. Joseph, human once more, froze in his spot, one leg raised in step and his right arm clutched closely to his chest. The fingers were a pale blue, and shards of ice were lodged into the right sleeve of his jacket like cruel, clear spearheads.

For a long while the duo stared at each other, each eyeing the other in a fashion reminiscent of a pair of dogs waiting to be attacked. Joseph's eyes darted towards the counter. _Kathy?_ He mouthed, and Keiichi grimaced, sliding back down the counter and disappearing from sight.

The woman in question had pushed herself off the ground and against the counter, clutching her head, her fingers buried in her hair. "Kathy?" Keiichi asked softly, watching as the woman's body tensed at her name. Hesitantly, he reached out, lightly touching her shoulder only to have it immediately swatted away. "Go away." The merchant muttered. Her voice was trembling.

The counter groaned lightly, and Keiichi looked up, finding Joseph's concerned face staring down at them both despite the injury Kathy had inflicted on his arm. "Kat, listen I-"

"Not a god damned word out of you, Joseph." Kathy cut him off. The woman raised her head, glaring up at the man with baleful eyes. "How dare you. How _dare_ you! You-you gave up a piece of yourself for that-that _thing_!" She snarled. "After everything that's been done to us, after everything that you've _seen_ -" The woman bit her lip, and Keiichi became all too aware of the tears that streaked her face. "You turned yourself into one of those monsters, Joseph. You went out like Roland did and got yourself infected, and now you need to eat other _people_ to survive!"

Joseph grimaced. "Roland infected himself for the sake of the Lokapala. For the sake of _humanity_ , Kathy. He saw something none of us did when those Embryon guys appeared. He saw _hope_."

"He's damned himself to his own personal hell-"

"For our sakes!" Joseph roared. "He turned into a monster so that we wouldn't have to, to go out under that fucking black sun and fight off everything else that wants to make a meal out of you, me, Johnny, and everyone else here!"

"And what happens when _he's_ the one trying to eat us for lunch?" Kathy demanded. "Well Joseph? What happens when you come barging in here ravenous because you can't control that monster that's in you? What happens when you try to kill Johnny, or me, or Keiichi?"

Joseph's face screwed up tightly. "I-" The man paused and grit his teeth, clutching his arm as he sucked in a deep breath. "I'll-"

"It won't come to that."

The two in-laws paused in their verbal dispute, turning to regard Keiichi with a pair of matching expressions that claimed they'd forgotten his presence. Keiichi flinched at the sudden attention, but held his ground. "It won't come to that." He repeated. "I-I'm sure of it." The mechanic swallowed, willing his voice to be stronger as Kathy's expression darkened. "Roland…if he really did become a-a Tuner for the sake of everyone here, then he's probably already got a plan in case something goes wrong…He seems like the type who'd rather die than endanger the lives of those around him."

"He's a drunk, Keiichi." Kathy retorted. "He's-after Greg died, that man all but abandoned us. He stopped leading us and did nothing but waste the days away on whiskey."

"That's not the Roland I met, though." Keiichi replied softly. "He-he messed me up pretty bad when he interrogated me, Kathy. And I saw that monster you're afraid he might become. But he stopped. One of his friends stopped him before he went too far…like he was expecting it to happen. He's trying to find a way around it, just in case he _can't_ control it." The man turned his gaze to Joseph. "And there's nothing that says you can't control it, either."

Joseph nodded in agreement. "I took on this power…this curse, so that I can further help the Lokapala-the Embryon, in any way I can." He explained. "Kathy, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but you need to understand. This is for everyone. If my strength can help save even one person…if I can take down a single Karma soldier with Pyro Jack's flames before that man can change and devour my companions, then it'll be worth it."

"And what happens when the thing gets too powerful?" Kathy asked quietly. "What happens when you _need_ to feed and there are no other demons- _soldiers_ around for you to prey on?"

The man smiled. It seemed more mournful than anything else. "Well…that's what my comrades are for then, right?"

The words were despairing, even to Keiichi's ears, and the man felt a lump well up in his chest. "It doesn't have to be that way." He said. "You shouldn't have to-"

"Enough."

That single word silenced Keiichi before he could argue further. "I've heard enough. From both of you." Slowly, Kathy picked herself up off the ground, her eyes glaring a hole into the floor. "Get out." The woman walked past Keiichi, heading to the staircase that led to the second floor."

Neither men moved. "Kat-"

The woman froze. "Didn't you hear me?" Kathy demanded, keeping her back to the duo. "I said get out. Get the fuck out of here! My store isn't open to suicidal cannibals or the idiots who defend them. Now get out before I force you out!"

Without another word the woman stomped up the stairs, the rage emanating from her person strong enough to cause more dry wall to dust down from the ceiling. Somewhere a door slammed shut, followed by the shatter of glass.

One of the ceiling lights fell to ground, and Keiichi jumped. Beside him Joseph released a deep sigh before turning and heading towards the shop's exit. Uncertain of what else to do, Keiichi trailed after him.

"Looks like I fucked up, didn't I?"

And while Keiichi could have thought of many things to say to Joseph to reassure him, the man found himself settling for silence instead.

"I'll talk to Johnny about Kathy when he gets back. Warn him. He'll be able to calm her down, I'm sure."

Keiichi sent the man a sideways glance. "Why would you need to warn him?"

Joseph's smile was crooked and tinged with regret. "We're twins, Keiichi. It's almost a universal law that what one twin does, the other is sure to imitate." He shook his head in disdain. "…I wasn't the only one who decided to become a Tuner."

The mechanic stared at the man in surprise, and then slowly nodded. "I see."

"Do me a favor. Don't tell Kathy none a' this shit, you hear me?"

"I-I hear you."

"And watch her back for us-me and Johnny. We-we won't always be around now that we're Tuners." The man's voice was tight, and Keiichi closed his eyes. In his mind he could hear Dyaus's voice once more, rough and gravely and only barely human.

_These mortals have awakened their own Ultimate Destruction Program, Keiichi Morisato. They have become their own demons, they have become their own monsters, and with it they can do little but fight to survive. Watch them, Consort of the Norns, and show us the strength carried within those who desire life above all else._

* * *

 

_Comments of a Madwoman: For those not as familiar with the Megaten series, Pyro Jack (Joseph's demon) and the demon Jack Frost are known for adding 'hee ho' throughout their dialogue. Joseph wasn't actually trying to insult anyone. It's just how Pyro Jack talks. Note-most of what happens through the storyline, aside from a couple of things to keep the timeline accurate, is never noted to happen in DDSAT 2, though there is a Pyro Jack that claims to be Mad Mart's Johnny's brother._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments of a Madwoman: For those not as familiar with the Megaten series, Pyro Jack (Joseph's demon) and the demon Jack Frost are known for adding 'hee ho' throughout their dialogue. Joseph wasn't actually trying to insult anyone. It's just how Pyro Jack talks. Note-most of what happens through the storyline, aside from a couple of things to keep the timeline accurate, is never noted to happen in DDSAT 2, though there is a Pyro Jack that claims to be Mad Mart's Johnny's brother.


	3. Underground Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keiichi goes on his first hunt with Kathy. The Embryon act as guides.

" _Those…weird lights…came shooting through the air. And then I—and then all of us—we transformed into these…monsters. And then we fought. Friend or foe, it didn't matter. It was chaos—every man for himself. And anyone who lost was torn apart, and then…and then—"_

_-Vanguard Tribe Leader Harley Q._

* * *

 

Keiichi nervously shifted his weight from one foot to another. His stomach was alight with butterflies, and he found himself regretting the decision to eat that last ration as his gut coiled and churned uneasily.

"Stop squirming." A voice instructed, "I need to ensure these buckles are snug and secure."

Biting back an anxious sigh, Keiichi looked over his shoulder, finding a scowling Kathy looking back from where she knelt behind him. The man felt a light tug around his thighs, and then the woman looked up, her frown deepening as he met his gaze. "Don't give me that look." She snapped. "You look like you're about to face an execution squad. It's pathetic."

The man grimaced. "I _feel_ like I'm about to face an execution squad." He muttered, and Kathy laughed harshly. One of the buckles on his shoulder grew taunt, then painful, and Keiichi grunted. "Too tight."

The strap loosened, but still dug uncomfortably into his shoulder. "Better?" Kathy asked, "The shoulder straps are especially important. If they're too loose they run the risk of sliding off if we have to run."

After a moment of internal debate Keiichi nodded. "It's fine." The brunette was in what Keiichi had come to call one of her 'Moods', and he didn't want to risk her wrath over something as minor as some straps.

There came a tug, followed by a dissatisfied grunt, and before Keiichi could say anything the black fiber loosened a bit more. The mechanic looked back at Kathy in surprise. "Straps should be snug, but loose enough that they don't chafe." The woman pulled at her own straps, and then slid two fingers between the fastenings and her shirt. "See this?" She asked, "You should be able to slide two fingers between the strap and yourself. Three is too loose, one is too tight. Got it?"

Keiichi blinked in surprise, and then nodded. "Ah..y-yeah. Got it."

The woman nodded in turn. "Good, because I'm not dressing you up every time we head out. You're a grown man and I expect you to act like one. This is the only time I'm doing it for you." The woman paused, then sent him a look, "And don't forget, you were the one who asked for this."

"Right…I-I know."

Roland appeared from the long staircase leading up to wall perimeter. "Let's move. Full Light only lasts for so long."

Kathy stepped away from him, and as she did Keiichi restlessly re-checked the fastenings on his gear up for his first trip out of the Underground City. Black straps tethered with pouches and canisters and water canteens fit snugly against his body, as Kathy had ensured they would, yet perhaps out of distress, perhaps out of caution, Keiichi checked them once more anyways. The gun on his back, a military-grade assault rifle, felt cold and heavy, and its leather sling dug irritably into his shoulder.

Beside him, Kathy scowled. Even with the goggles she wore, Keiichi could feel her glare. "Stop dancing. The gate hasn't even opened yet."

If anything, that only made him more antsy. _There are demons on the other side of that gate. Demons who won't hesitate to attack and kill us._ He remembered, and a part of him stared at his female companion is something akin to awe. _And yet you can stand there and wait for it to open so calmly and patiently. I wish I had such strong nerves._ Or at the very least have the ability to hide it so well.

It had been over a week since Joseph had appeared as a demon and gotten the both of them kicked out of _MAD MART_. Of that week, it took three days for Johnny to convince Kathy to allow either of them around the shop. Even longer before the woman actually allowed them _inside_. Her eyes had been cold and unforgiving when Keiichi had crept past her, the heat of her glare causing the hair on the back of his neck to rise in a manner that reminded him of mongoose eyeing a cobra.

Joseph had come up with the idea of appeasement, and with his encouragement Keiichi found himself finally suggesting what he'd avoided since arrival; to accompany Kathy on one of her raids.

The brunette had eased her cold shoulder at that point, though Keiichi was all too aware of the necessity of a light tread. The man was on thin ice right now, and any wrong move could easily end with him sleeping in Joseph's cramped barracks once more.

An arm slipped around his shoulders, and Keiichi jumped, startled from his thoughts. "Relax, Bro," Cielo, lilac eyes bright and relaxed, smiled at him. "We got ya' back up 'till the sewers! 'Dere's plenty to scavenge up to 'dat point!"

Keiichi tried to smile back at the younger man. "Right." He murmured. The duo weren't the only ones leaving the City tonight. Serph and his tribe, Roland included, were also heading out on their own mission, and had agreed to accompany Keiichi and Kathy up until the entrance to the sewers, where the Tribe would venture off on their own mission.

The additional firepower was more than welcome. Despite their more…demonic roots, Kathy's stance was easy and relaxed around the pink-haired sniper Argilla and Roland. While Keiichi made a point keep his distance from the former, he couldn't help but observe their interactions. It was strange seeing how at ease the woman was around the more experienced Tuners, and yet seemed so willing to flip a switch in regards to Joseph and himself.

The radio on his flac vest crinkled to life. _"Sir, we're ready when you are._ "

Roland brought his own radio up, " _Let us out."_ came from the other end, and Keiichi swallowed nervously as the hulking metal slab slowly began its trembling climb upwards.

_This is it. It's all or nothing now._

The sound of gears groaning and metal creaking seemed all too audible in the quiet of the City, and as the world beyond grew visible Keiichi waited for the inevitable onslaught of demons. The man clenched and unclenched clammy hands nervously and his heart quickening as he fought to keep his calm.

"Easy Bro, de Karma don' come so close to da' City." Cielo slapped a friendly hand on his shoulder, and it was all Keiichi could do not to jump out of his skin. "We made sure dey got da message dey wern' welcome 'ere. We won' be seein' dem until much latah."

Someone tapped the younger man on the shoulder, and both the braided man and the foreigner looked up. Serph was watching them. He gestured to Cielo, then to Gale, who had come to stand next to him. The leader then pointed towards the desolate field ahead. "Aye, Got ya' Boss." Nodding in farewell to Keiichi, Cielo and Gale headed out first, their stances growing tense and wearisome as their mindset grew more combat-oriented.

The duo took position towards where the corridor opened up into a large underground field. Keiichi heard the tell-tale sound of shifting molecules, and then Gale's Vayu stood where once a human was. The demon leaned forward, its large, gaping jaw parting as if tasting the air. The green, leaf-like cloak that adorned its grey body spread out into four petals, and for a long moment the creature stood motionless, taking stock of their position.

The creature straightened, and the stiff petals around its neck fell into a limp cape once more. _"The air is gentle."_ It ground out, its voice a rough and grating bell like that of a hoarse bird. _"The closest demon is not for a good five kilometers, and they're moving away from us at this time._ " The demon stomped a foot, and like a sudden explosion Gale was once more human. "We should not encounter any demons until at least the half-way point between here and the sewers."

Serph said nothing, instead nodding and motioning to Kathy and Keiichi to head out next. The woman looked over at the mechanic. "You ready?"

Keiichi nodded, distrusting his voice, and the merchant rushed out. A spike of adrenaline surged through his veins, and the man followed a moment later. Serph appeared at his side armed with a pistol, and a quick glance over his shoulder revealed Roland and Argilla bringing up the rear. _"We're out. Close the gate._ Roland's voice crackled over the radio, and Keiichi pointedly did not look back as a heavy groan once more permeated the area.

It was over all too soon, it felt like, and as the rumbling slowed to a halt Keiichi became all too aware that they were on their own now, that they were taking their lives into their own hands all for the sake of supplies. Yet as Ceilo had said, as Gale had sensed, no enemies emerged from the woodworks, leaving the group alone and in silence. The trail before them was wide open and littered with pieces of broken cement and wrecked buildings.

Keiichi peered up at one of the closer second story windows. Its inside was dark and deserted, yet a piece of him could not help but wonder at how easy it would be for a demon to sneak inside and watch them from afar. The thought made him shudder.

"Hey, keep moving. We've got a lot of ground to cover and there ain't nothing in those buildings left to salvage." Kathy nudged him gently, and starting badly Keiichi moved forward once more, not having realized he'd actually stopped to examine the building. Running a hand through his hair, the mechanic took a deep breath, trying to calm his rapid heart as his gaze drifted once more. His gaze met a pair of gray eyes instead, yet Serph said nothing, merely held Keiichi's gaze until it grew too unnerving to hold it anymore.

Keiichi dropped his gaze.

"How far did your last trek take you?" Argilla asked, moving ahead of Roland to better speak with the other woman.

Kathy shrugged. "It's hard to say," she responded, "I don't often venture towards the sewers. My trails tend to head in the opposite direction, into the Old Town district and the Graveyard."

"The Graveyard?" Keiichi asked, and a look of distinct displeasure traversed across her face.

"It's a monument." Roland said, and immediately Keiichi retreated from him, hurriedly widening the distance between himself and the Lokopala leader. Roland pretended not to notice. "From when the Cuvier Syndrome first began to surface. Back then it was rare, but as more and more people began turning to stone beneath the sun, implements were installed to attempt to shield humanity from its rays. The Graveyard was the first of these implements."

"And the first one to fail, as well." Kathy muttered. "The nerds up topside all thought the Virus was caused by some strange mutation of UV rays, so the facility they built was designed primarily to shield those within from UV." The woman shook her head. "Well, things appeared good for a little while when the Syndrome stopped appearing for a while. But then…"

"One day the entire area was nothing but…statues. They'd all been corrupted; every man, woman, and child that lived within the dome. No one could explain how or why, especially when on that same day there were no reports of the Cuvier Syndrome outside of the Graveyard."

"Wait." Argilla stepped in between the two Lokapala. "Are you saying that the sun _chose_ to corrupt those people?" There was a tinge of unease in her voice, her face displaying a look of horror that mirrored Keiichi's own feelings on the matter.

Yet Roland shook his head. "There's no hard evidence of the sun being so capable." He explained. "The scientists think it was a fluke, or that the dome that was supposed to shield them from the Cuvier Syndrome instead enhanced its rays. But they're only theories.

"So what happened to this dome?" Keiichi dared ask, "This…'Graveyard' that you keep talking about?"

Kathy frowned. "It was quarantined from the public." She said. "Think of it: an entire town of stone statues, some of them with expressions of terror, others going about their daily business in their homes or on the streets?" The woman shook her head. "There are theories that those who fell victim to the Cuvier Syndrome are on some level still alive, perhaps even aware of what's happened to them. For those people who had family that were in that Graveyard, it almost became demanded that they be protected from vandals."

The woman sighed, her gaze drifting to the perpetual darkness above them. "After a while, as more people became infected, more statues gradually began appearing within the Graveyard. As it was the only area regular humans were wary of approaching, more and more often the friends and families of those victims would bring the statue to the dome, thinking it would be a safe area for the statues without worrying about potential damage befalling them."

"For a lot of people, the Graveyard came to signify the hope of the nation; that there was still a chance, that there was still a way for humanity to survive this wretched onslaught from the heavens." Kathy ran a hand through her hair, for a moment looking old and tired and worn. "But then came that announcement. That _fucking_ announcement from Madam Bitch Cuvier herself." The merchant's expression melted into one of deep-set anger. "There was no cure. Nothing could be done for those who'd fallen victim to the mutagen." Kathy's hands clenched her weapon tightly, knuckles white as one lip curled upwards in a snarl. "All the time, all that money that had been donated…the hopes of the people, and the sheer amount of grief that fell upon those of us who had to pick up the pieces…"

Roland moved to pat Kathy's shoulder silently, and the woman looked away, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "Because of that, the place has become more a memorial than anything else." Roland continued. "People…the Karma Society, still bring their statues down there at night, guided by Karma's Soldiers. It's…the closest thing to neutral ground you're ever going to find here. Everyone, _everyone_ , has lost at least one person to the Syndrome, be it before or after the sun turned black. People go down there to visit lost friends and family all the time, and no one dares fight in that area for fear of accidently destroying someone precious."

The man hesitated, eyeing Keiichi and Argilla with a sideways glance. "Karma Soldiers will even go out of their way to kill any demons that come within a hundred yards of the area. They don't loot the bodies, which makes it a good place for resources."

Argilla sent the white haired man a look. "But wouldn't that mean potential clashes between Karma Soldiers and the Underground denizens?"

The alcoholic shook his head. "You'd think that, but no. It's probably the one place in this nightmarish hell that Hunters and Hunted can move freely about without any chance of strife. The Soldiers leave us in peace, and in turn we don't destroy the statues they hoard and care for ever-so-carefully. They kill the demons that have gone rouge, and we clean up their bodies of anything that could go to waste that's inedible to their Atma."

Keiichi frowned, glancing over at Kathy. "So…if it's so much safer, why are we heading towards the sewers instead?"

"Joseph and I visited the Graveyard last night." Kathy shook her head, "None of the Upper Level Soldiers have visited the area in the past two weeks. The demons were thick as flies on a corpse. We were lucky enough to escape with all our limbs attached, let alone our lives."

Argilla hummed thoughtfully. "It may have to do with our own rise in hostilities." She murmured. "The soldiers were probably called back due to the uproar we created in their little internment facility." The woman made a face. "That means we'll have to deal with increased security upon infiltrating the Facility…" The Tuner's pink eyes were calculating, fingers drumming against the butt of her rifle in thought. "Serph-"

The man glanced back at her and brought a finger to his lips. Immediately the pink-haired warrior fell silent, the Atma on her breast pulsing a bright pink momentarily as Argilla tensed. _"Where?"_ The woman mouthed, and as Gale and Cielo gathered around them, Serph pointed to Gale.

Wordlessly, the man gestured to an awning composed of two collapsed buildings far off in the distance. It was about seven hundred meters southwest of their current position. Cielo gestured for them to crouch, and as Keiichi kneeled he watched the wordless conversation between Serph, Gale, and Argilla. Through a series of gestures and signals that eluded him they communicated their intent. When finished Argilla crept away from their group, heading off to a wall of debris comprised of concrete and rebar from a building little more than a skeleton of its former self.

Hiding behind the wall, the woman reached into a pouch and withdrew two long cylindrical objects, one of which Keiichi recognized as a scope, the other's whose purpose proved a mystery. As the sniper began attaching the tools to her weapon, Serph gestured Gale to his side. Wordlessly the duo slowly made their way the opposite direction, backtracking the way they came before easing their way down an embankment towards their assumed targets.

Cielo and Roland hung back, Roland checking the rounds in his shotgun as Cielo shifted into Dyaus. Kathy knelt down, sucking in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "Make sure the safety's off." She murmured. "Don't aim at anything you don't plan on killing. Don't fire unless you're certain it's an enemy combatant."

Keiichi nervously fiddled with his weapon, finally finding the safety lever and flicking it off. A heavy tension descended upon them, and anxious, Keiichi strained his ears for any sign of what might be happening. Gritting his teeth, the man looked over his shoulder and back to Argilla, finding the woman had wrapped a gray scarf around her head in order to cover her more vibrant pink hair. The secondary cylinder appeared to be a silencer of some sort attached to the muzzle, and the sniper slowly laid down on the ground as she moved to peer around the decaying wall.

There came a soft, speedy exhale from the weapon, and Argilla twitched as the recoil hit her. A second later, and a wild wail permeated the surrounding area. The woman didn't move, and a second round was shout a moment later. The cry was abruptly cut off, and slowly the sniper withdrew from her position. "Two out of five." She murmured, waiting until she was safe behind her wall to speak. "The others transformed before I could target them. Their forms are Lesser Atma though, so Serph and Gale should be able to take them out alone."

Cielo's avatar landed from where he was hovering near Keiichi. " _You better change as well, Argilla."_ The hoarse, guttural tone of Dyaus growled. " _We can't be certain they were the only ones, and your bullets are only good against humans."_

"I know, Cielo." Argilla ground out and a moment later the cameo-adorned Prithivi took her place. The demon turned her head towards Roland, who watched the two Asuras warily. " _You too, Roland."_ The two mouths that comprised the Avatar's breasts spoke one at a time, breaking the sentence into equal parts for both maws. The voice was deeper than Argilla's, yet still held a note of femininity to it. " _That shotgun won't do anything against a demon. Even the elemental bullets Kathy was able to obtain will do only a fraction of damage a magical attack of the same nature would cause."_

The silver-haired man pursed his lips. "I'm good." He said, and almost unnoticed by the others, both Kathy and Keiichi breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll change if anything pops up, otherwise there's no need."

A long, drawn out hiss erupted from the two maws, and something resembling twin snarls appeared on the twin breasts. It was intimidating enough to make Kathy back into Keiichi, startling the man badly as Prithivi took a step towards Roland. " _You'll change now."_ The demon instructed. _"You need to adjust to your Avatar, and running away will only make it harder for you as time progresses."_

The tone was scolding, almost like a mother ridiculing a child, yet it was lost on Roland who, similarly to the humans near him, took it as a more threatening action. The man stepped back, a grimace on his face as he raised his weapon in warning. Prithivi paused, and the being tilted her head to one side. "Hey, back off Argilla." The man warned. "I know the risks, and I'll take my chances. There's no reason to use Indra right now."

Off to one side, Dyaus released an odd chirp that sounded suspiciously like laughter to Keiichi's ears. " _'Dis sound familiar to you, Argilla?"_

The demon turned her faceless head to regard her fellow Tuner. Though Prithivi had no eyes, there was a distinct impression of a glare from the Asura as it gazed at Dyaus. If it was possible, the beaky grin that comprised its maw pulled back into a larger smile. " _De bickering reminds me a' you an' Heat."_ He clarified, and this time Prithivi responded with a growl.

Prithivi paused, staring at Dyaus for a long moment before finally turning away from Roland. " _Serph and Gale are returning."_ She said. " _They eliminated the other three; however I can sense two groups, one of three to the east, one of four to north, approaching our position."_ The demon paused. " _I can only discern what is on the ground. The groups are in their Avatar forms; if any have wings, I won't know until they touch the ground."_

The earthly demon gazed at her more avian companion. " _Can you scan from above?"_

" _How far out are 'dey?"_

" _Far enough that they won't notice you rising above, close enough for you to spot them."_

Dyaus made a rumbling noise in his throat, " _Seven hundred meters? I can do that."_

Keiichi shifted anxiously. "What should we do?" He asked. His hands felt clammy and uncomfortable with the assault rifle in hand, yet he resisted the urge to wipe them as Prithivi looked his way.

" _Take cover."_ She said. _"Until we reach the sewer entrance, we are your escorts. There is no reason for you to join the fight unless absolutely necessary. Hide, but be ready to strike in case something reaches you before we take it out."_

Keiichi swallowed, his throat uncomfortably dry as he stared at Prithivi with wide eyes. Then Kathy grabbed his hand and dragged him off, leaving the two demons to stake out the latest threat. The merchant dragged him into a building suffering from less damage than its brethren. "Find a room with minimal holes." She instructed. "Keep an eye out for anything strong enough to use as a barricade, we're going to fortify this place as best as possible. Nothing on the second floor; if the stairs give out, we won't be able to get down safely. "

"Right." His heart rammed wildly in his chest, bolting from what was once a living room into the remains of the kitchen. Half of the southwestern wall had collapsed, with dirt and broken tile littering a floor broken in half by a large crevice in the ground. Swearing quietly, the mechanic leapt over the fissure, landing lightly as he bolted to a secondary door still accessible despite the debris.

Peeking his head through, the man discovered a long hallway, the pain on the walls eroded with age and coated with dust, the tile dirty and brown from disuse. Three doors, one at the end of the hall, and two on the far-side, laid open and bare, and carefully Keiichi crept towards them and peered inside. The first side door had collapsed in on itself, though it looked like it had once been some sort of playroom in the past. The walls were decorated with faded cartoon characters from a time long past, grey rabbits and black ducks smiling at him under their coat of dust. The rusted remains of a toppled over baby carriage lay at one corner of the room, and broken toys and rotted stuffed animals lay strewn across the floor, patiently awaiting their owner's return.

It was an eerie, dismal sight, and silently, as though fearing he might disturb the room's quiet occupants, Keiichi retreated back into the hallway. He continued at a slower pace, goosebumps lining his arms. From here, he could peer into the room at the end of the hallway, and he grimaced as the stench or raw sewage arose from the bathroom. "Not there." He said, approaching the final room and finding it little more than a ruined closet. "Nothing we can use here…"

Discouraged, the man carefully returned to the kitchen, finding Kathy waiting for him on the other side of the fissure. A look of relief swam upon her face as she saw him. "You're alright." She breathed. "You weren't answering my calls. I was afraid something happened to you."

"I'm fine." Keiichi replied. "I was looking at the rooms back here, but it's only a hallway. None of the rooms its connected to are useable."

The woman nodded with a frown. "It's the same on my end. The living room and dining room are both too ruined to be useable." The merchant pursed her lips. "…What about the hallway? How's its state?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Well, there aren't any holes aside from the doorways, but-"

"It'll have to do." Kathy interrupted. "We don't have time to be too picky." Eying the crevice, Kathy gave it a running jump and easily sailed over it, landing more heavily a few feet from Keiichi. "We can pile some debris around the kitchen area to make it look like a secondary cave in and…" the woman peered inside the hallway, trotting down it to examine the other entryways. "There's some loose concrete we could probably lean against the entrance here." She stepped into the playroom, and reluctantly Keiichi followed, actively avoiding the broken plastic.

The woman approached a piece of fallen ceiling of about five feet, its surface having rotted to the bare wood after years of exposure. "This will work." The woman waved him over and grabbed one section void of exposed nails, and frowning Keiichi followed her lead, finding a likewise area on the opposite end. It was difficult, but together they managed to move the section to the door, leaning it against the entrance at enough of an angle where the two humans could crawl through back into the hallway.

"Good…good, now let's get something for the other si-" In the hallway once more, Kathy immediately went still, and follow her gaze Keiichi froze as well. A demon had entered the hallway. It was small, little more than three feet in height, and resembled a gaunt, purple human-like being with a swollen belly. Its face was long and disproportionate to its body, with large, round eyes and an even larger mouth. It was naked, though Keiichi could see no genitalia to identify a gender. The only thing it wore were a pair of black bangles on each wrist and two long, golden earrings adorned with black script.

It stared at them both with its glowing eyes, its head twisting at a ninety degree angle first one way, then the next. It smiled at them, baring long, yellow incisors at the duo. " _Food?_ " It croaked, and slowly Kathy took a step back, one hand moving to a grenade on her belt as the other gestured Keiichi back. _"Food?"_ The being croaked again, its head twisting once more at an unnatural angle as it observed them.

"Bathroom." Kathy's voice was low and soft. "Slowly, no sudden movements. Ready your weapon. I've never seen this demon before."

Before them, the little creature seemed to make some sort of decision regarding the pair. _"Food! Food! Found!"_ It released a hoarse howl into the air, and with it came the pounding of small feet on broken tile. Kathy swore, throwing caution to the wind as the kitchen threshold grew black with glowing eyes and purple bodies. " _Food? Food! Want food! Need food! Give now, give now!"_ Their voices were all identical to the first, creating a chaotic cacophony of voices all vying to be hear above their kinsman.

"Go! Go now!" Without another word Keiichi turned and bolted down the hallway, Kathy on his heels as the woman turned and tossed a grenade at the mass of glowing eyes and yellow fangs. "Bathtub! Take cover!"

There was little time to think, barely any time to act, and with his heart thrumming wildly in his ears Keiichi rushed to do as ordered, flying into the bathroom and diving into the stained bathtub, yelping as Kathy landed on top of him. An explosion rocked the house's foundations, sending a heated burst of dust and soot and debris inside. Deaf and blind to the world around him, Keiichi tried to lift his head, only for something to shove his face back down against the cold, dirty tile of the bathtub.

Ears ringing, the mechanic thought he heard Kathy's voice shouting something, and a secondary explosion destroyed his eardrums with a deafening _whump_. For a brief moment Kathy's weight on his back lightened, only to suddenly increase to a painful point as something collapsed onto his back. Keiichi gasped, inhaling a lungful of dust and debris and coughed violently as his lungs tried to free themselves for air. It was difficult to draw in breath, though the man was uncertain if it was from all the dust in the air or the massive weight bearing down on his ribs.

Struggling, Keiichi tried to squirm out from under the weight, tilting his head back and finding Kathy on top of him and a section of destroyed ceiling on top of _her_. The woman had taken the brunt of the impact, leaving the merchant unconscious and unresponsive to his actions.

Swearing, Keiichi took extra care to try and remove himself from the fall-in, grabbing the sides of the tub as he attempted to shimmy himself free. It was a long and laborious process that left the man gasping and straining for breath, yet slowly he made progress. His hearing returned to him, and his eyes did not burn quite as badly as they did from the preliminary explosions, leaving the mechanic overly aware of his surroundings.

He could hear nothing from the demons in the hallway, and Keiichi prayed that Kathy had been able to blow them away with her two grenades. Yet it still left him cautious; his mind racing with possibilities of other demons taking note of what happened and locating the two of them before The Embryon or Roland. As paranoia slowly crept up his spine, Keiichi began to freeze at every creak he made, every moan the house made, and ever pebble that was disturbed.

Yet nothing came from his actions, and somehow Keiichi managed to crawl out of the tub, falling to the cracked floor with a cough and a moan. For a moment he laid there, eyes staring at the destroyed ceiling and the abysmal darkness that lead up to the second floor. _Not a whole lot of light in here, is there?_ He wondered to himself, eyes drifting to the bathroom threshold and finding little more than shafts of light filtering in through the collapsed doorway. _Ah…that's why._

Blinking owlishly, the man slowly climbed to his feet, legs burning and trembling as they threatened to drop him in a rage. Gritting his teeth, Keiichi pushed past it, grabbing whatever he could to steady himself and paying for it with a palm full of splinters. The man bit back a hiss, ignoring the fresh bite of wood chips, and stumbled to the remains of the threshold. Hesitantly, ears straining for activity, Keiichi peered through one of the gaps in the debris, brown eyes squinting as he attempted to make out the world outside.

The air was thick with dust, making it difficult to see clearly, yet the mechanic was vaguely certain he could make out black, charred wood along the walls closest to himself. As the air swirled the filth before him into strange shapes and patterns, Keiichi also became aware of black mounds dotting the hallway, many charred beyond recognition, while some clawed at the ceiling with bent back and gaping maws.

A shudder pulsed through him, and for a moment Keiichi looked away, bile rising at the back of his throat as a scent like over-cooked pork hit his nose and combined with the reek of raw sewage in the bathroom. Gagging, the man covered his nose, swallowing as saliva pooled into his mouth threateningly. "Shit…" The man hissed, looking back at the tub with a worrisome glance. "What did you _use_ on those things, Kathy?" And did she have more? Could they explode if he attempted to remove her from the tub?

New anxieties coursed through his mind as he recalled the grenades from _MAD MART._ Johnny had educated him on grenades and ammunition with elemental properties, but this was the first time he'd ever seen such a large extent of damage done from one of the weapons. What element had those explosives been? Fire? Electricity? The elusive Almighty property that was still in R &D?

"We're dead if one of those things goes off in here." He whispered softly, taking a deep breath as he once more peered outside. What met his gaze this time; however, was no charred corpse or black wall but a head, long an pointed and brown, void of any facial markings to identify it as human. Keiichi yelped, and Prithivi tilted her head at an angle, for a moment reminding Keiichi of the little purple demons so much it terrified him.

" _You are Keiichi, right?"_ The demon asked. " _I can only identify vibrations in this form. It's difficult to deduce identity."_

Shaken, Keiichi nodded. "Ah-right, yeah, its Keiichi. Kathy's in here with me, she's unconscious though and I don't think I can get out, uh, she-she's stuck under something."

Prithivi seemed unconcerned. " _Stand back, I'm going to open a passage. From there we can work on Kathy."_

Gritting his teeth, Keiichi did as ordered, stumbling back until one foot hit what remained of the toilet. The smell that wafted to his nostrils was almost unbearable.

What happened next was difficult for Keiichi to comprehend. In the center of the debris, a strange sort of circular… _void_ appeared, fracturing the light around it and seemingly bending the area into itself. It almost reminded Keiichi of a black hole, except that it didn't appear to be sucking in any light of any kind. Instead came an internal _pop_ that made his ears ache, and the hole, along with the refracted debris, vanished from sight. Somehow, the surrounding debris remained stable, though as Keiichi examined the new hole he could see the smooth, clipped areas of where the material from before had simply…vanished.

Prithivi stuck her head through the door, her pointed, triangular head moving towards him. _"Are you alright?"_

Keiichi nodded numbly, and the demon carefully entered the bathroom. "What was that?"

The cameo demon shrugged. " _Magic."_ She said furtively. " _Where is Kathy?"_

"The bathtub." Keiichi pointed, and Prithivi followed his gesture, approaching the tub at a soundless gait at odds with the rubble on the floor. The demon leaned over, peering within before her head turned to observe the mountain of debris piled atop the woman. _"I'll need to approach this carefully."_ She said. " _I can't tell the extent of damage on her, and if I attempt a Grydyne spell carelessly the remaining wreckage could collapse and cause further damage."_

The demon straightened, and Keiichi jumped when one of her arms seemed to unravel like a ball of yarn. A vine, Prithivi rose the limb upwards before letting it drape into the tub, the thread-like limb seemingly incapable of moving on its own. A moment later, and the serpentine appendage retracted like a mechanical tape measurer, transforming into its original 'arm' once more. Keiichi thought he heard the Asura mutter a spell, and like the rubbish in the threshold a similar refracting void appeared on the debris in the tub. An instant later, and a large hole was left in the debris.

" _Help me move the remains."_ Together, demon and mortal carefully removed pieces of plaster and wood, rebar and cement, gradually revealing the unconscious woman buried within. At some point during the extraction, Prithivi stopped her aid, instead reaching down and muttering a _Dia_ spell that Keiichi had grown all too familiar with. For a brief moment Keiichi paused as well, unable to suppress a shudder at the green afterglow that fell on Kathy's form, his mind dredging up buried memories of Indra's raging snarl and Adil's pitying face.

Kathy came to with a gasp, starting badly as the recovering woman caught sight of Prithivi's hovering form. Almost as if reacting on instinct, the woman turned to the demon, reaching for something in one of her purses before recognizing the Asura as friendly. "Ar-Argilla?" The woman's voice came out a broken squeak, and in a flourish of shifting molecules and glowing flesh the sniper appeared once more.

"You had quite a tumble." Argilla explained softly, offering the merchant a hand that Kathy took after a moment's debate. Gently, the woman pulled her up, and Kathy swayed dangerously as she tried to gain her footing.

Keiichi stepped up and offered his shoulder. The woman leaned into him heavily. "Are you alright?"

The woman blinked owlishly at him. "I…What happen?"

"We met some demons." Keiichi explained. "We made a run for the bathroom, and you tossed two grenades down the hall. Then the ceiling collapsed on us while we were hiding in the bathtub."

Kathy stared at him. "No wonder it smells like shit." She said, and despite himself, Keiichi let loose a little laugh.

Argilla smiled thinly. "Come on, Roland and the others are waiting outside. We need to continue while the other demons are trying to regroup."

* * *

* * *

The rest of the journey proved adventurous for the large group. None of the Tuners had received any major injuries from their opponents. Little more than light scratches and weak bites adorned their Avatars' forms, and even those were easily cared for with a small healing spell. The Embryon proved to be generous, too; what items they had found on their prey went directly to Keiichi and Kathy, regardless of quality or value to the Tribe. "We may be Embryon, but we have allied ourselves with the Lokapala Tribe." Gale explained, passing over several large rations whose brown covers were stained with blood and other, unknown fluids. "As such, we must work for the better of the whole, and not strictly ourselves. The noncombatants within the Lokapala have a greater need for these materials than we of the Embryon."

Keiichi tried hard not to cringe as he took the 'gifts' from the man, tentatively storing them away in one of his cargo pockets. The others, thankfully, chose not to comment.

There were more demons on the trail as well. All of them alien to Keiichi's eyes, yet who went down with so little difficulty it was almost pitiful. There was no more hiding, for the groups that approached them now came in small numbers, seeming to disregard any manner of tactical advances in favor of mindlessly rushing their opponents.

Perhaps it was a loss of reason in their alternate forms. For those with eyes, those 'Lesser Atma', as the Embryon dubbed them, Keiichi saw few signs of intelligence in their eyes. What showed instead was a mindless hunger set in desperate faces, some resembling humans capable of expression, others like those of a rabid beast.

They were a horrid mass to behold, made even more so by how easily they were brought down. What Keiichi and Kathy had struggled so hard with the Tuners eradicated with terrible ease, ripping and slicing and crushing bodies as though they were mere insects. Keiichi counted his blessing that the infected individuals decided not to feed in the presence of the humans. Given everything else he'd experienced so far, the mechanic wasn't certain how he'd react to Roland or the Embryon literally cannibalize another Tuner, regardless of their form.

Instead the group tore their opponents down as efficiently as possible, sparing no time for a bite to eat nor even a messy kill out of consideration for the two mortals. Keiichi was grateful, and the occasional glance in Kathy's direction revealed much the same. Yet at the same time, the man was all too aware of how taxing the battles appeared to be for their companions. More than once he caught a glimpse of a strained face, of bitten lips and grit teeth, and hesitant steps towards fresh corpses before ultimately turning away.

The mortal presence was causing more harm than good for those infested with demons, yet no one offered a word of complaint, holding a silence as true and steady as that of their quiet leader.

And then, all too quickly it seemed, they came upon the sewer.

"You'll be okay from here?" Argilla asked, a frown on her face and concern bright in her eyes.

Kathy nodded her affirmation. "I've got my own routes we can take to return home." She said. "Their difficult for both Man and Demon, especially in large groups, so most creatures tend to ignore them."

Argilla nodded, though her frown did not fade. "You take care of yourself out here, alright? I want to meet with you again when we return with Sera and try this…" Her gaze drifted to Roland, who raised one silver brow. "…'Bourbon' I've heard so much about with you."

Roland glared. "Hey, don't even think about raiding my liquor cabinet." He growled.

Kathy snorted. "As if there's anything left…" She muttered, and Roland's glare was directed towards her.

Cielo laughed, though it was obvious he didn't know what bourbon was, before Gale stepped forward. "We will have time for such pleasantries at a later date." He said, "Time is wasting right now, and we must depart before any more demons endanger Kathy and Keiichi." The green haired man glanced over at Serph, who nodded in agreement.

Kathy sent the group a wan smile. "Go and head out. Make sure that drunk doesn't get wasted on duty."

Cielo grinned. "Like 'e could as Indra? I don' tink' he's got dey stomach for it." The younger man approached Keiichi, slapping his shoulder. "Jou take care too, ja?" He asked. "Don' let all dat training go ta waste."

Keiichi nodded and tried to smile. It came out a grimace. "You too." He said, uncertain of what else to say.

The braided man nodded. "We'll come back wit' Sera an' a bunch a loot!" He cried. "Jus you wait!"

And with those departing words the group of Tuners turned and departed, entering through the large gate fence that cordoned off the sewers from the rest of the underground. Keiichi watched them go with something akin to sorrow, and as the Embryon vanished into the inky depths of sewage and feces, Kathy rested a hand on his shoulder. "They'll be back." She said. "They've got all the experience of a warzone gone to hell on their shoulders. Now let's go. I hate this area, and I don't want to dawdle here any longer than necessary."

Keiichi nodded, a part of him tempted to ask about her dislike before shrugging it off. They were at the gate of a sewer in an underground channel littered with demons. What was to like? "Is there anywhere specific we're going?"

Kathy frowned, a look of consternation on her face. "There is…but we're going to need to be _very_ careful with it." She said, and together they began to walk. The path was large enough for the duo to walk side by side, and Keiichi sent the woman a curious look. "It's from the old days, back before this hell hole was overhauled into what it is now. It's what left of the subway line."

Keiichi raised a brow. "You don't seem very enthused to go there."

"I'm not." Kathy shook her head. "It's…too many bad memories." She said. "There was-" The woman bit her lip. "Back when the sun first changed…One of its victims was in the subway. They turned into this huge demon like nothing I'd ever seen before and just started…eating. People were flocking to the subway in a last ditch effort to escape the sun, and this thing… _this_ thing, just sat there, its mouth wide open and swallowing people whole when people came too close."

The woman shuddered. "I was there-me and-" The merchant shook her head. "When there were no more people on the stations, it went for the subway cars next. Whole subway cars, long as could be and going at full speed, and this thing just chasing after them and crunching up cars in two huge bites. So many people…some falling off the ends of cars, others trampled as people tried to shove to the head of the cars-"

The woman stopped abruptly, and Keiichi paused as well. Kathy was white as a ghost, a look of abject terror on her face as she bit down on her thumb. "Kathy?"

The merchant gave no sign of hearing him, muttering something under her breath too softly for Keiichi to catch. He'd lost her, and the mechanic watched in no small amount of concern as the brunette relived some horrible memory. What was he supposed to do?

Hesitantly he reached out to touch her, "Kathy-" his hand brushed her shoulder, and the woman reacted with a shout, a hand rising up and smashing into his left brow painfully. The man released a shout, recoiling as Kathy stumbled back. The mechanic clutched his face in pain, moisture slicking his fingers as he looked at the merchant with a grimace.

The woman was retreating from him, eyes wide and wild, teeth borne in a petrified snarl before she turned and bolted.

Swearing, Keiichi chased after her, throwing caution to the wind as he shouted her name. "Kathy!" The woman looked back, and for a moment he thought she'd been roused from her memories before the woman released a desperate cry and ran harder. Another curse left his lips, and Keiichi increased his pace as well, cursing the armor, items, and weapons that weighed him down so heavily.

The woman led him on a wild journey, flitting around rusted vehicles and jumping over cement barriers, dipping under piles of rubble and climbing mountains of debris slick and smooth with age. He didn't know where she was leading him, nor if she was aware of where she was going herself. All he knew was that her fear gave her strength, and there were several times he himself feared that he would lose her among the wreckage, where Kathy's smaller form maneuvered so much more easily in comparison to himself.

He was afraid of shouting, afraid of what might come if he called too loudly. The higher slopes had shown the skeletal remains of demons, and he'd raced past a human skull before his mind was fully able to confirm its origin.

At one point, he drew close enough to almost touch the woman, and fearing he wouldn't gain such an opportunity again Keiichi leapt at her, colliding with Kathy with eighty pounds of additional weight and easily knocking the woman to the ground. They hit the ground with intermingled shouts and cries and flailing limbs as Kathy fought him off. Yet Keiichi was nothing if not stubborn, bowing his head to shield himself from the worst of the blows as steel-toed boots collided with the metal plates of his vest.

"Let me go! _Let me go!"_ She shrieked, squirming and struggling in his grasp. "It's coming! Don't you get it? He's coming! I have to—I _need_ to-" Her words deteriorated into a chocked sob, and gradually her strikes lost their strength, before failing to come at him altogether. Eventually even the weeping subsided, and it was only then that Keiichi dared to rise.

"Kathy?" His voice barely rose above a whisper. The man was tense, very tense, to the point where he felt like jumping at any sudden sound that met his ears. Warily, he surveyed their surroundings, seeing no demons in sight but something that vaguely resembled train tracks a short distance from them.

Beneath him, the woman sucked in a shuddering breath, one hand moving to cover her face. "What did I do?" Her voice was still watery, but Keiichi sensed the merchant had gained her wits once more.

Feeling a bit more at ease, the man crawled fully off her. "You had a..." Panic attack? Flashback? "…moment." He finally decided. "I don't think you were entirely here. You freaked out and bolted."

Beneath her hand Kathy nodded, slowly sitting up as she moved to wipe her face. "Sorry…" She muttered. "I—sorry." Refusing to look at the mechanic, the woman instead stared at the ground, her face drawn and pale. "It's…" She sighed. "I've been trying to bury those memories for seven years now. Too much happened that day. I saw too much, _experienced_ too much, and it-" the woman grit her teeth, eyes squeezed shut as she shook her head angrily. "Enough. _Enough._ " Keiichi couldn't tell if the words were directed towards himself or her.

Carefully the merchant picked herself up. "…Let's see where we are."

Wherever they were was darker from before. Older too, with long rows of fluorescent lights that glowed dimly from where they hung to the ceiling. The area wasn't composed so much of concrete and cement as it was of brick and mortar, the black paint that once covered the walls chipped and faded to an ugly dark gray. A row of bars aligned parallel to each other spread forth into the darkness of the area, and an uncomfortable weight filled Keiichi's gut as a gnawing suspicion nibbled at the back of his brain.

" _Fuck_."

Kathy's simple utterance confirmed any doubts Keiichi might have had, and uncomfortably the man looked over to his companion. "This is the place, isn't it." It wasn't a question, yet Kathy nodded anyways. Keiichi scowled, not so much at Kathy as the subway itself. "We can go back if you want." He offered. "There's bound to be other materials nearby that we can find. There's no reason to go on if it has such an effect on you."

Kathy looked over at him and smiled. It was a sad, almost pitiful smile that made his heart restrict painfully. "Only it's not that simple, is it? This isn't some peaceful world where we can bury the monsters in the closet or under the bed." The woman withdrew the weapon on her back and once more sucked in a shuddering breath. "We've got people counting on us, Keiichi. Let's go."

And without another word, the duo entered the abandoned tunnel, weapons borne and ready for whatever might come.

And somewhere, just beyond the scavengers' range of hearing, a laugh, young and innocent, rebounded off the inner subway walls.

The laughter of a child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments of a Madwoman: The spell Prithivi used to free Kathy is a 'Gravity' spell. Megaten-wise, they are used exclusively in the early Persona games, however in 'Quantum Devil Saga', the book the videogame is based off of, Argilla's main magic is gravity over earth. 'Grydyne' is a heavy-single hit gravity attack, and a shout-out to the book.
> 
> The demons Keiichi and Kathy encountered in the hallway are 'Preta'. The appear in DDSAT 1 as an early enemy, however don't make a reappearance in the sequel, which is why Kathy states she's never seen them before.
> 
> Lot of worldbuilding, as the entirty of the Underground area was never fully explored/explained.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments of a Madwoman: I started this story years ago and have only just gotten around to actually writing it. You might notice a shift in the writing style because of that.
> 
> All the items mentioned in the story are items that can be used in-game. Panaceas are known for curing several types of ailments, whereas rations are basic HP restore items. Andres, the demon that attacked Kathy, had one of his attacks changed from ‘HP Thief’ to ‘Vital thief’ to better fit the story. Otherwise, I’m going to attempt to keep any demons that appear in the series true to DDS and/or A!MG, depending on who/what makes an appearance. The story takes place fairly early game-wise, between the time of the Internment Facility run and the Karma Society Tower.
> 
> I have a vague idea on where this story is going to go, but for the most part I’m making it up as I go. I’m taking a break from my usual fics to write this, mostly to help take my mind off some stressors currently haunting my every step. Feel free to buzz me if there’s any questions and I’ll answer them to the best of my abilities


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